How They Make Money

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How They Make Money
How They Make Money
πŸ“Š PRO: This Week in Visuals

πŸ“Š PRO: This Week in Visuals

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App Economy Insights
Aug 02, 2025
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How They Make Money
How They Make Money
πŸ“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:

  • πŸ’» Microsoft: AI Crossroads

  • ☁️ Amazon: Betting The Farm


Premium subscribers get:

  • πŸ“Š Monthly reports: 200+ companies visualized.

  • πŸ“© Weekly articles: Exclusive deep dives and insights.

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

PRO subscribers get everything PLUS:

  • πŸ“© Saturday PRO reports: Timely insights on the latest earnings.


Today at a glance:

  1. πŸ“±Apple: Pull-Forward Demand

  2. πŸ•ΆοΈ Meta: AI Spending Accelerates

  3. πŸ’³ Visa: Spending Holds Up

  4. πŸ’³ Mastercard: New Partnerships

  5. 🧴 Procter & Gamble: Price Hikes Ahead

  6. πŸ’Š AbbVie: Eyeing Mental Health

  7. πŸ‘œ HermΓ¨s: Luxury Outlier

  8. ✨ LVMH: Softer Demand

  9. πŸ’Ό UnitedHealth: Reform Under Pressure

  10. πŸ’„ L'OrΓ©al: US and China Rebound

  11. 🦠 Merck: Before Keytruda Cliff

  12. 🏝️ Booking: Connected Trips Rise

  13. βš™οΈ Arm: AI Push Thin Margins

  14. πŸ›©οΈ Boeing: Deliveries Drive Progress

  15. πŸ“² Qualcomm: AI Diversification Gains

  16. 🎧 Spotify: Slushing Ad Performance

  17. 🧠 Lam Research: Record Margins

  18. πŸ”¬ KLA: AI Tailwinds

  19. β˜•οΈ Starbucks: Early Signs of Stabilization

  20. πŸ“ˆ Coinbase: Trading Slump

  21. πŸͺΆ Robinhood: Crypto Fuels the Boom

  22. πŸͺ Mondelez: Cocoa Costs Bite

  23. πŸ’‘ Cadence: China Fines

  24. πŸ“¦ UPS: Tariffs Hit Hard

  25. πŸ‘Ύ Roblox: Viral Surge

  26. πŸ’³ PayPal: New Ambitions

  27. ☁️ Cloudflare: Growth Reaccelerates

  28. πŸš™ Ford: $2B Tariff Hit

  29. πŸ‘Ÿ Adidas: Tariffs Cloud Momentum

  30. 🏎️ Electronic Arts: F1 Boost

  31. 🍫 Hershey: Cocoa Weighs Heavy

  32. 🌭 Kraft Heinz: Still Searching for Stability

  33. 🧣 Kering: Gucci Sales Collapse

  34. πŸ‘½ Reddit: Fastest Growth in 3 Years

  35. 🏦 SoFi: Fee-Based Momentum

  36. πŸ›΅ Grab: Profitable Growth Holds

  37. 🦷 Align: Weaker Volumes

  38. πŸ“Ί Roku: Platform Momentum Builds

  39. πŸ“Š Confluent: Cloud Outlook Disappoints

  40. πŸ“¦ Etsy: Buyer Slump

  41. 🏑 Appfolio: AI Lifts Growth


1. πŸ“±Apple: Pull-Forward Demand

Apple’s June quarter (fiscal Q3 FY25) revenue jumped 10% Y/Y to $94.0 billion ($4.9 billion beat) with EPS up 12% to $1.57 ($0.14 beat). It was a surprisingly strong performance in a seasonally weaker quarter.

πŸ“± iPhone sales jumped 13% Y/Y to $44.6 billion, boosted by strong upgrade cycles linked to pull-forward demand ahead of tariff hikes, which could impact future quarters. Tim Cook noticed an β€œunusual buying pattern” in the US.

πŸ’³ Services grew 13% Y/Y to a record $27.4 billion, supporting Apple’s highest June-quarter revenue ever.

Despite an $800 million tariff hit on costs, Gross margin held at 46% as Services continue to boost Apple's margin profile.

Geographically, China returned to growth, up 4%, while North America and emerging markets accelerated. Apple guided for mid- to high-single-digit revenue growth next quarter, with tariffs-related costs expected to rise to $1.1 billion.

Management highlighted expanded AI investments, including 20+ new Apple Intelligence features, and ongoing supply chain diversification (India and US manufacturing ramping). Regulatory risks are still on the horizon around the Google search deal and App Store changes we’ll cover in the coming weeks.


2. πŸ•ΆοΈ Meta: AI Spending Accelerates

Meta posted a blowout Q2, with revenue up 22% Y/Y to $47.5 billion ($2.7 billion beat) and EPS up 36% to $7.14 ($1.24 beat).

Ad strength drove results, as impressions rose 11% and average price per ad climbed 9%, pushing operating margin to 43%. Daily active users across the Family of Apps rose 6% Y/Y to 3.48 billion, and Meta AI now boasts more than 1 billion monthly users. The core ad engine is funding massive AI investments and the persistent Reality Labs’ losses ($4.5 billion).

CapEx guidance held at $66–72 billion for 2025 ($64-72 billion previously), with another significant increase flagged for 2026 (possibly hitting $100 billion) as Meta builds superintelligence capabilities via new Prometheus and Hyperion data center clusters. Zuck announced the formation of Meta Superintelligence Labs to consolidate AI research teams through aggressive hiring and accelerate frontier model development.

While regulatory risks loom in Europe and tariff pressures remain, Meta guided Q3 revenue growth to 17%-to-24% Y/Y (above consensus), signaling continued momentum as AI drives both product innovation and ad efficiency.


3. πŸ’³ Visa: Spending Holds Up

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