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Mark Zuckerberg Facebook CEO cofounder

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Gawker's Ryan Tate just published what he says "a source with knowledge of Facebook's finances" tell him are…Facebook's finances.

The numbers look a little light.

Facebook was supposed to generate about $4 billion in revenue this year and make $2 billion in EBITDA.

Through three quarters, Facebook's revenues – according to this source – only came in at $2.5 billion. 

That means unless Facebook has a very big, $1.5 billion fourth quarter it will miss expectations. Facebook is growing very fast and $1.5 billion is definitely a possibility, but it isn't a lock: $1.5 billion is about 80% higher than the $830 million Facebook generated on average over the year's first three quarters.

EBIDTA (earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes, and amortization) isn't listed here, but similar metrics – operating cashflow and operating income – are, at $1 billion and $1.2 billion respectively.  

Again, it will take a big fourth quarter – $1 billion in profits! – for Facebook to meet expectations sources set earlier this year.

HERE IS WHAT IS CLEAR: Facebook is not blowing away the numbers that leaked at the beginning of 2011. That in itself feels like a disappointment. The company is NOT going through a surprising run of growth.  It's also worth pointing out that Facebook still continues to trail the pace set by Google during its first seven years as a company.

TATE:

Facebook By The Numbers

Jan. 2011 – Sept. 2011

Assets: $5.6 billion
Cash/cash equivalents: $3.5 billion
Debt: $0
Shareholder equity: $4.5 billion

Operating cashflow: $1 billion
Revenue: $2.5 billion
Operating income: $1.2 billion
Net income: $714 million

Ownership: Employees 30%, Mark Zuckerberg 24%, Digital Sky Technologies 10%, Accel Partners 8% (had 10% but sold 2%), Dustin Moskowitz 6%, Eduardo Saverin 5%, Sean Parker 4%, Goldman Sachs clients 3%, Microsoft 1.3%, Peter Thiel and/or Clarium Capital 3%, Greylock Partners 1.4%, Meritech Capital Partners 1.6%, Chris Hughes 1 %, Li Ka-shing .75%, Interpublic Group .50%,, Goldman Sachs .8%,

Go read Tate's post for more >>

Don't Miss: Everything You Need To Know About Using Facebook's New Timeline >

See Also: Facebook's Ad Revenue And The Mystery Of The Missing $500 Million

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Nicholas Carlson was Business Insider's global editor-in-chief from 2017 to 2024, overseeing its emergence as a National Magazine Award, Emmy, SABEW, and Pulitzer Prize-winning global news organization with more than 500 journalists reaching 200 million readers and viewers each month.Before that, he was Business Insider's chief correspondent.Carlson is also the author of "Marissa Mayer and the Fight To Save Yahoo!"He was an Executive Producer of "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," which, during its debut week, was the most-watched television show on any streamer and the most-watched show in Max history.His investigative reporting rewrote the histories of Facebook, Twitter, and Groupon. He also wrote the award-winning features "The Truth About Marissa Mayer: An Unauthorized Biography" and "THE COST OF WINNING: Tim Armstrong, Patch, And The Struggle To Save AOL."Longform.org named "THE COST OF WINNING" the best long-form business story of 2013.Carlson's coverage of Yahoo won Digiday's award for Best Editorial Achievement of the year in 2014.In 2015 Carlson wrote a New York Times Magazine cover story, "What Happened When Marissa Mayer Tried to Be Steve Jobs." It was a finalist for a Mirror Award for best in-depth/enterprise reporting.Carlson began his journalism career at InternetNews.com and then Gawker Media's Valleywag. He went to Davidson College. Disclosure: Nicholas is an investor in private and public companies and adheres to Insider Inc's Conflict of Interest policy, which you can read here.