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๐Ÿ“Š PRO: This Week in Visuals

๐Ÿ“Š PRO: This Week in Visuals

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App Economy Insights
Aug 09, 2025
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How They Make Money
How They Make Money
๐Ÿ“Š PRO: This Week in Visuals
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Welcome to the Saturday PRO edition of How They Make Money.

Over 200,000 subscribers turn to us for business and investment insights.

In case you missed it:

  • ๐Ÿ“Š Earnings Visuals (7/2025)

  • ๐Ÿˆ Disney Gives NFL a Stake

  • ๐Ÿ•ต๏ธโ€โ™‚๏ธ Palantir, AMD, Mercado Libre

  • ๐Ÿ“ฑ PRO: Apple, Meta, Visa, Mastercardโ€ฆ


Premium subscribers get:

  • ๐Ÿ“Š Monthly reports: 200+ companies visualized.

  • ๐Ÿ“ฉ Tuesday articles: Exclusive deep dives and insights.

  • ๐Ÿ“š Access to our archive: Hundreds of business breakdowns.

PRO subscribers get everything PLUS:

  • ๐Ÿ“ฉ Saturday PRO reports: Timely insights on the latest earnings.


Today at a glance:

  1. ๐Ÿ’Š Eli Lilly: Pill Doubts

  2. ๐ŸŸ McDonald's: Reigniting Growth

  3. ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Shopify: Canadaโ€™s Largest Stock

  4. ๐Ÿš– Uber: Accelerating User Metrics

  5. ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Novo Nordisk: Growth Reset

  6. ๐Ÿงฌ Amgen: Obesity Trials Advance

  7. ๐Ÿ–ฅ๏ธ Sony: PlayStation Power

  8. ๐ŸŒ Arista Networks: AI Tailwinds Accelerate

  9. ๐Ÿ’‰ Pfizer: Costs in Check

  10. ๐Ÿ“ฑ AppLovin: Self-Serve Era Incoming

  11. ๐Ÿ›– Airbnb: International Offsets Soft US

  12. ๐Ÿ”’ Fortinet: Slowing Services Growth

  13. ๐Ÿจ Marriott: International To The Rescue

  14. ๐Ÿˆ Flutter: FanDuelโ€™s Winning Streak

  15. ๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท Coupang: New Verticals Deliver

  16. โ˜๏ธ Atlassian: AI Momentum

  17. ๐Ÿถ Datadog: AI Cohort Lifts Outlook

  18. ๐Ÿ”ฒ Block: Borrow Fuels Rebound

  19. ๐Ÿ“บ The Trade Desk: Kokai at Scale

  20. ๐ŸŽฎ Take-Two: Raising the Bar

  21. ๐ŸŒฎ YUM Brands: Digital Milestone

  22. ๐ŸŽค Live Nation: Latin America in Focus

  23. ๐Ÿž Toast: New Locations Record

  24. ๐Ÿ“ข HubSpot: AI-First Strategy Pays Off

  25. ๐Ÿ“Œ Pinterest: Gen Z Fuels Growth

  26. โœˆ๏ธ Expedia: Guidance Takes Off

  27. ๐Ÿ‘‘ DraftKings: Lucky Quarter

  28. ๐Ÿ  Zillow: Rentals Surge Again

  29. ๐ŸŒŽ Global Payments: Ongoing Shift

  30. ๐Ÿ’ฌ Twilio: Growth Accelerates

  31. ๐Ÿฆ‰ Duolingo: New Subjects Take Flight

  32. ๐Ÿ‘ป Snap: Ad Glitch Hits Growth

  33. ๐Ÿ’ป Paycom: AI-Driven Efficiency

  34. ๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ New York Times: AI Boosts Bundles

  35. ๐Ÿ”ฅ Match Group: Signs of Stabilization

  36. ๐Ÿด Klaviyo: Upmarket Gains

  37. ๐Ÿงฌ Tempus AI: Genomics Revs Up

  38. ๐Ÿš˜ Lyft: Still Trailing Uber

  39. ๐Ÿšฒ Peloton: Profitable Again

  40. ๐ŸŒŠ Digital Ocean: AI Lifts Outlook

  41. ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Tripadvisor: Marketplaces Take the Lead

  42. ๐ŸŽ“ Docebo: Mid-Market Momentum


1. ๐Ÿ’Š Eli Lilly: Pill Doubts

Eli Lillyโ€™s Q2 revenue surged 38% Y/Y to $15.6 billion ($0.9 billion beat), led once again by its GLP-1 duoโ€”Mounjaro (+68% to $5.2 billion) and Zepbound (+172% to $3.4 billion). Non-GAAP EPS jumped 61% to $6.31 ($0.72 beat), with gross margin improving to 84%.

Lilly raised its full-year revenue guidance to $60โ€“62 billion (up from $58โ€“61 billion), and non-GAAP EPS to ~$22.25 (from ~$21.53). Performance margins are expected to reach up to 45.5%, with plans to nearly double incretin production in 2H25.

But sentiment turned. Shares dropped ~14% on underwhelming Phase 3 data for orforglipron, its once-daily oral weight-loss pill. Patients lost up to 12.4% of body weight, trailing injectables like Novo Nordiskโ€™s Wegovy (~15%), while 10% discontinued due to gastrointestinal side effects. Rival Novo surged on the news.

CEO Dave Ricks defended the profile, emphasizing oral convenience and scalable manufacturing. Despite headwinds like CVS dropping Zepbound, Mounjaro is now the top diabetes incretin in the US. The long-term thesis remains, but the road to pill-based dominance may be bumpier than hoped.


2. ๐ŸŸ McDonaldโ€™s: Reigniting Growth

McDonaldโ€™s returned to growth in Q2, with global same-store sales up 4%, ending a streak of weak quarters. US comps rose 2.5%, a sharp rebound from last quarterโ€™s -3.6% decline, driven by positive check growth and strong reception to Snack Wraps, $5 bundles, and Minecraft-themed promotions. Revenue grew 5% Y/Y to $6.8 billion ($140 million beat), and EPS reached $3.19 ($0.04 beat).

International Licensed Markets (+6%) and International Operated Markets (+4%) outperformed, supported by value deals and new product launches like the Chicken Big Mac in Germany.

McDonaldโ€™s reaffirmed its full-year operating margin guidance in the mid-to-high 40% range and expects 2,200 new restaurant openings in 2025 (1,800 net adds). Digital remains a focus, with loyalty users exceeding 185 million across 60 markets and a 2027 target of 250 million.

Despite ongoing pressures on low-income consumers, management sees momentum building. CEO Chris Kempczinski cited a bifurcated consumer landscape but emphasized McDonaldโ€™s scale, affordability, and IP tie-ins as key to reengaging core customers and sustaining traffic gains.


3. ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Shopify: Canadaโ€™s Largest Stock

Shopifyโ€™s Q2 revenue jumped 31% Y/Y to $2.68 billion ($130 million beat). Gross merchandise volume surged 31% to $87.8 billion ($6 billion above expectations), with notable acceleration in Europe (+42% Y/Y in constant currency). Monthly recurring revenue rose 9% Y/Y to $185 million.

Operating income came in at $291 million (vs. $248 million consensus). Net income soared to $906 million, driven by operating leverage and favorable equity investment in Affirm, Global-e, and Klaviyo after last quarterโ€™s drag (see โ€˜Otherโ€ for $615 million in the top right of the visual). Free cash flow hit $422 million, or 16% of revenue (up from 15% in Q1).

Shopify regained its position as Canadaโ€™s most valuable public company, with shares surging over 20% to a new 52-week high. Wall Street celebrated large merchant adoption and international momentum. Citi called it a โ€œblowoutโ€ quarter, suggesting market share gains more than offset macro concerns and tariff risk.

Looking ahead, Shopify expects Q3 revenue growth in the mid-to-high 20% range and gross profit growth in the low 20% range. Tariff pressures remain something to watch, but investor focus has shifted to the platformโ€™s ability to scale across geographies and segments.


4. ๐Ÿš– Uber: Accelerating User Metrics

Uberโ€™s Q2 revenue rose 18% Y/Y to $12.7 billion ($230 million beat). Gross bookings showed no sign of slowing down, rising 18% Y/Y to $46.8 billion, driven by 18% trip growth and a 15% rise in monthly active users to 180 million (an acceleration). Delivery outpaced Mobility again, with bookings up 20% vs. 16%, as Uber pushes its โ€œbarbell strategyโ€ to serve both cost-conscious and premium users.

Adjusted EBITDA climbed 35% to a record $2.1 billion (4.5% of bookings), while free cash flow surged 44% to $2.5 billion. Net income reached $1.4 billion, aided by strong operating leverage and investment gains. Uber One membership jumped to 36 million, now contributing 40% of total bookings.

Despite the record quarter, Mobility bookings narrowly missed estimates ($23.8 billion vs. $23.9 billion). Still, Uber authorized a massive $20 billion buyback, effectively $23 billion with remaining capacity.

Looking ahead, Uber guided Q3 gross bookings to grow +17% to 21% in constant currency, and adjusted EBITDA to grow +30% to 36%. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi emphasized platform cross-sell and AV expansion, with new Waymo deployments in Atlanta and partnerships with Lucid, Nuro, and others to scale autonomous fleets over time. We covered the latest partnership in our review of Teslaโ€™s earnings.

โšก Tesla: From Bad to Worse

โšก Tesla: From Bad to Worse

App Economy Insights
ยท
Jul 24
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5. ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Novo Nordisk: Growth Reset

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