It was a strong year by the numbers for Meta and Mark Zuckerberg.David Zalubowski/ AP ImagesMeta and Mark Zuckerberg have a lot to celebrate as 2024 comes to a close.Meta's stock and Zuck's fortune are both up significantly, and the company made headway on AI, hardware, and more this year.Here's a look back at the year for Meta and its chief executive.Mark Zuckerberg was busy this year.He allocated billions to keep Meta competitive in the AI race.He worked to thaw out a frosty relationship with President-elect Donald Trump and likely caused Apple to sweat over Meta's flashy smart glasses demo.And he debuted a new look that many on social media applauded as more relatable.In short, as 2024 comes to a close, Zuckerberg and Meta have plenty of cause for celebration.Meta's stock is up 66% year-to-date, and Zuckerberg is more than $84 billion richer today than he was at the start of this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.The company reported an earnings beat in every quarter (though some were followed by brief stock drops) and declared its first-ever dividend in February."From a bird's-eye view, all in all, it was a successful year for Meta," said Minda Smiley, a senior analyst at EMarketer, a sister company to Business Insider.