Reddit’s Ad Engine Roars

$RDDT smashed Q2 revenue, raised guidance, and might quietly be AI’s next goldmine.

Author

George Babis
August 02, 2025

Markets moved, unicorns ballooned, and Reddit pulled a surprise win. Here’s what stirred headlines this week — from Meta’s ad machine to Apple’s China comeback:

  • Bitcoin or Bust? Strategy Inc. (ex-MicroStrategy) is now a $30B Bitcoin vault. No more software — just one massive crypto bet.

  • Meta’s Ad Engine Won’t Quit: $46.6B in revenue, 3.48B daily users. AI talk aside, ads are still Meta’s money-maker.

  • iPhones and a China Surprise: Apple crushed earnings. iPhone sales soared, and China came through with $15B in revenue.

  • Novo’s Fall From the Top: Novo Nordisk lost half its value as rivals challenge Ozempic. The weight-loss crown is wobbling.

  • Reddit’s Big Ad Win: Revenue jumped 78%. Users hit 110M. Reddit’s not just surviving — it’s thriving.

Strategy Inc.: Software No More

Formerly MicroStrategy, now Strategy Inc., the firm has gone full crypto-core since 2020 — ditching its software-first identity to become the world’s biggest corporate Bitcoin whale. 🐋💰

Led by Michael Saylor, the company’s game plan? Issue debt, buy Bitcoin, hold forever. So far, it’s working: the stock is up 3,500% 📈 since August 2020, with Bitcoin holdings now worth $30B+ — about 3% of all Bitcoin ever mined.

Critics call it risky. Fans call it genius. Either way, the company’s fate is now fully tied to Bitcoin’s volatility ⚡ — a bold bet that could either compound further or collapse fast.

3.48 Billion and Counting

Meta $META ( ▼ 0.69% )  crushed Q2 earnings, with revenue hitting $46.6B, up 21% YoY — and 98% of that came from its Family of Apps: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. 📈💬

While investors fixated on AI and Meta’s shiny new “superintelligence” team 🤖, the real hero was plain old ad sales. Ad prices jumped 9%, and the number of people seeing them keeps climbing — Meta now reports a jaw-dropping 3.48 billion daily active users, up 1.38B since 2019.

The AI arms race is cool. But Meta’s growth machine? Still powered by your scroll.

Services, iPhones, and a Surprise in China

Apple $AAPL ( ▼ 0.55% ) delivered a clean beat on earnings Thursday, reporting $1.57 EPS and $94B in revenue — both ahead of Wall Street estimates. 📈

iPhone sales soared to $44.6B 📱, smashing forecasts, while services revenue hit $27.4B ☁️. Even Greater China surprised to the upside at $15.37B 🇨🇳. The only miss? Slightly soft numbers in the Americas 🇺🇸.

Despite tariff worries (Apple estimated $900M in extra costs this quarter), the company posted solid gains and even saw a 3% after-hours pop, before settling up about 1%.

Now, all eyes turn to how Apple plans to catch up in AI 🤖, a space where it still lags rivals.

Europe’s Pharma Giant Just Shrunk

Last year, Novo Nordisk $NVO ( ▼ 0.77% ) was Europe’s heavyweight champ — riding high on Ozempic and Wegovy, with a $660B+ market cap 🏆. Fast-forward to now? The company has lost more than half its value 📉, and just suffered its worst trading day ever, sliding 23% after slashing its sales and profit outlook.

With Lilly’s $LLY ( ▲ 1.39% ) Mounjaro and Zepbound outperforming Ozempic in trials — and new players like Hims $HIMS ( ▲ 6.43% ) and Noom crowding the space — Novo’s GLP-1 dominance is fading fast. 😬

Reddit Just Posted. Investors Upvoted

Reddit $RDDT ( ▲ 3.16% ) popped 12% after hours 🚀 following a blowout Q2 earnings report. While EPS came in light at $0.45 vs. $0.69 expected 😬, revenue crushed expectations, hitting $500M, up 78% YoY and well ahead of Reddit’s own forecast.

Ad revenue did the heavy lifting — $465M, up 84%, now accounting for 93% of total sales. Meanwhile, daily active users hit 110.4M 👥, up 21%, with lurkers growing faster than logged-in users.

Reddit also raised its Q3 revenue guidance to $535–545M, way above analysts’ $473M prediction. And with its rich user data, some believe Reddit could quietly become an AI goldmine 🧠📊.