Key Takeaways Shopify's end-to-end commerce platform and payments ecosystem drive merchant stickiness.Etsy's handmade and vintage marketplace creates a differentiated, hard-to-replicate moat.ETSY trades at 1.73X forward sales versus Shopify's higher 10.44X multiple.Shopify (SHOP) and Etsy (ETSY) are established players in the rapidly expanding e-commerce space. Shopify continues to strengthen its position by equipping merchants with a comprehensive commerce stack that includes store-building tools, integrat ...

Ira Bodnar, founder of San Francisco–based startup Ryze, said her company's core product was effectively made obsolete overnight following rapid AI breakthroughs by Anthropic and Manus AI.Despite having gained several hundred paying clients in just two months, Ryze found its specialized category redundant due to the AI’s native automation.However, Bodnar remains optimistic about the future, announcing plans to pivot Ryze towards building complex AI workflows for large advertising agencies. Predictions On AI ...

MercadoLibre (NasdaqGS:MELI) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 24, 2026 05:00 PM ET Speaker16Hello everyone, welcome to the MercadoLibre, Inc. Earnings Conference Call for the quarter ended December 31, 2025. Thank you for joining us. I'm Richard Cathcart, MercadoLibre, Inc.'s Investor Relations Officer. Today, we will share our quarterly highlights on video, after which we will begin our live Q&A session with our management team. Before we go on to discuss our results for the 4th quarter of 2025, I remind you ...

Stripe has secured agreements with investors to provide liquidity to its employees through a tender offer, valuing the company at $159 billion.Investors such as Thrive Capital, Coatue, and a16z are contributing to this effort, with Stripe also using some of its own capital to buy back shares, the company announcement stated.“After a decade of partnership and seeing their work up close, we believe Stripe has built the premiere financial infrastructure stack for the internet economy, relied on by the fastest ...

Core Viewpoint - A recent Substack post from Citrini Research suggested a potential market downturn driven by AI disruption, leading to significant declines in SAAS stock prices and broader economic implications [1][2]. Group 1: Market Impact - The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 1.7%, with individual stocks like Monday.com and DoorDash experiencing declines of approximately 7% each [1]. - The post outlined a scenario where declining SAAS stock prices in late 2025 and early 2026 could initiate a larger market rout due to AI's impact on the U.S. economy [2]. Group 2: Mechanism of Disruption - Companies traditionally reliant on software services from providers like Zendesk and Monday.com are increasingly able to replicate these services in-house using AI, leading to renegotiated contracts or complete contract terminations [3]. - To maintain profit margins, software companies may resort to layoffs, which could accelerate white-collar job losses and result in wage deflation for remaining employees [4][6]. Group 3: Economic Consequences - The cycle of AI improvement leading to reduced workforce needs, increased layoffs, and decreased consumer spending could create a feedback loop that exacerbates economic pressures [5]. - The concept of "agentic commerce" suggests that AI could undermine traditional business advantages, such as customer loyalty, by driving down associated premiums [5]. Group 4: Job Market Outlook - The post challenges the optimistic belief that AI will create as many jobs as it displaces, contrasting it with historical technological revolutions and highlighting concerns raised by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell [7].

Core Insights - Wix.com Ltd. has launched an integration between Wix Bookings and Google Search, Google Maps, and Google AI Mode, allowing service businesses to display their services, pricing, and near real-time availability directly within Google's platforms, facilitating instant bookings from high-intent traffic [1][2]. Group 1: Integration Features - The integration automatically syncs services and availability from Wix users to Google, enabling potential clients to see actionable booking options directly on the search results page [2]. - Appointment availability is updated approximately every 30 minutes, ensuring that time slots reflect current capacity [8]. - Clients can select a time slot and be directed to the Wix booking form on the business's website to confirm details and complete the booking quickly [8]. Group 2: Business Strategy - This integration is part of Wix's broader strategy to equip businesses for an era of agentic commerce, where intelligent systems guide discovery, planning, and purchasing across channels [3]. - Wix aims to reduce operational friction for service-based businesses, allowing them to deliver better service, scale effectively, and maintain strong client relationships [3]. Group 3: Target Verticals - Wix supports a wide range of service verticals, including Fitness, Beauty & Wellness, Health, Education, Tours & Activities, and Field Services, with the new capabilities currently available for Beauty services and plans for future rollouts to more verticals [4].

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Stripe was valued at $159 billion in a tender offer for employees and shareholders, the fintech firm said ‌on Tuesday, a more than 70% jump from a ‌similar share sale a year earlier. Investors poured $274 billion into startups — the second-highest total on ​record — last year, as U.S. venture funding rebounded strongly, according to Crunchbase data. Most of the funding will come from existing investors, including Thrive Capital, Coatue and Andreessen Horowitz, while the company will ...

This story was originally published on Payments Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Payments Dive newsletter. Stripe’s tender offer on Tuesday to purchase the shares of current and past employees values the payment processing behemoth at $159 billion.  The company said in a press release that most of the funds for the offer are from venture capital firms Thrive Capital, Coatue, a16z and others. Stripe is also purchasing some of the shares. The sale allows Stripe employees ...

This story was originally published on Marketing Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Marketing Dive newsletter. Walmart’s U.S. advertising arm, Walmart Connect, grew revenue 41% year over year in Q4, an important period that includes the holidays, according to an earnings statement. The retailer saw global advertising revenue rise 46%, reaching nearly $6.4 billion, for the full fiscal year. Advertising and membership fees, two high-margin segments, accounted for a third ...

Core Insights - Walmart's Q4 earnings call was overshadowed by the news that Amazon surpassed it in total sales, alongside a cautious forecast from the new CEO John Furner [1] - Key issues discussed included consumer spending trends, membership growth, AI impact on sales, and advertising revenue [2][4][9] Consumer Spending - Consumer spending remains resilient, but there is a widening income gap; most share gains are from households earning over $100,000, while those below $50,000 are under financial stress [2] - The importance of convenience is now nearly equal to price, pressuring Walmart to maintain low prices while enhancing delivery services [2] Membership Growth - Membership is evolving from a perk to a core business line, with membership income rising over 15% globally and Walmart+ membership income in the U.S. growing at a double-digit rate [4] - Strong sign-ups and high usage of Walmart+ benefits, particularly faster delivery, contribute to a more predictable base of frequent shoppers [8] AI and Sales Metrics - Walmart's AI assistant "Sparky" has led to a 35% increase in average order size for users compared to non-users, with about half of app users having tried it [8] - The company aims to bridge digital shopping assistance with physical fulfillment through agentic commerce [8] Advertising and Seller Services - Advertising income and membership fees accounted for nearly one-third of operating profit in the quarter, with significant growth in advertising revenue [9] - 52% of marketplace sellers utilize Walmart Fulfillment Services, indicating a shift towards more integrated seller services [10] Economic and Policy Challenges - Walmart's leadership expressed caution due to economic uncertainties, including lower Q1 operating profit growth and challenges related to tariffs [11] - Drug pricing policies are expected to create a 100-basis-point headwind for the year, contributing to a prudent outlook despite momentum in digital and higher-margin businesses [12] Financial Performance - Walmart reported Q4 revenue of $190.7 billion, a 5.6% increase, with global eCommerce sales up 24% and operating profit rising 10.8% [13] - Earnings per share were reported at $0.53 and adjusted at $0.74, with a new $30 billion share repurchase authorization announced [13]