Snap Aug 4
- **Q2 Beat & Sustainable Growth**: Q2 revenue $1.6bn (19% y/y, above est), EBITDA $250m (32% above est); Q3 guidance $1.70–1.74bn (13–15% y/y) exceeds Street, signaling growth beyond temporary drivers (FIFA/Middle East).
- **Subscription Engine & SPECS Risk**: Subscriptions +85% y/y ($316m, 20% of revenue), with 7–12% penetration benchmark; SPECS adoption at $2.195 (2.195 ASP, 100k target) faces mass-market hesitation, threatening medium-term viability.
- **Strategic Infrastructure Spend**: FY26 infrastructure cost raised $500m to $1.65–1.70bn for DR optimization/ad platform, driving 56% platform conversion lift—offensive spend to improve returns, not defensive.
- **Margin Expansion & Cash Flow**: Gross margin +7pp y/y, EBITDA margin 15.6% (vs 3.1% in Q225), TTM FCF $706mn; FCF per share now primary objective (Q2 FCF $121mn).