Shopify reports Q2 revenue up 34% YoY to $3.6B, above $3.45B est., GMV up 32% YoY to $115.6B, and forecasts Q3 revenue above est.; SHOP jumps 30%+ pre-market
THE SO WHAT
Shopify’s 34% revenue and 32% GMV growth—with a 30%+ pre-market pop—shows that owning the merchant operating system still commands a premium even as AI-native commerce tools proliferate. If you’re building in e-commerce, assume merchants will expect your product to plug into Shopify’s stack rather than replace it.
READ THE SOURCE
MORE FROM THE WIRE
Tech & InnovationCarlyle CFO Plouffe on M&A Market, Private Credit and AI
If Carlyle is still exiting broadly across Japan, Europe, and the US while calling private credit “tricky,” it suggests liquidity is available but selective. Operators should assume buyers will lean harder on AI upside in their underwriting models — you’ll need a concrete automation and margin story to clear IC.
Tech & Innovation'It is not a form of advertising': BMW defends Spider-Man pop-up ads that have infuriated customers
In-car Spider-Man promos framed as “not advertising” show how quickly connected vehicles are becoming contested ad surfaces. Any OEM or mobility platform experimenting with in-cabin messaging needs a clear consent and control model — or risk turning UX innovation into a brand liability.
Tech & InnovationDisney Climbs on Profit Beat; AMD Falls on Underwhelming Forecast | Stock Movers
Disney beating profit expectations while a major chip vendor underwhelms on AI-driven revenue is a reminder that capex narratives and realized demand can diverge quarter to quarter. If your roadmap assumes infinite cheap accelerators, build in scenarios where supply tightens or pricing doesn’t fall as fast as the hype.
Hedge fund manager Gavin Baker says investors have been too quick to judge Big Tech's AI spending
If public-market investors are already re-rating Big Tech’s AI capex as productive rather than reckless, the window for smaller players to raise on “infra story alone” is narrowing. Startups pitching heavy AI infrastructure should show line-of-sight to unit economics, not just scale.