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Maplebear Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • First quarter above $10 billion GTV: GTV reached $10,288 million, up 13%, and total revenue $1,019 million, up 14%. Management said this was the first quarter above $10 billion GTV and $1 billion total revenue. Source
  • Net income and Adjusted EBITDA both up: GAAP net income was $144 million, up 36%, and Adjusted EBITDA was $300 million, up 23%. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 29% of total revenue, against 27% a year earlier. Source
  • AI Solutions suite gaining momentum: The new AI Solutions suite is led by Cart Assistant, with early partners Kroger and Sprouts and recent additions including Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers and Woodman's. Source
  • GAAP gross margin fell to 72%: GAAP gross profit was $738 million, up 10%, or 72% of total revenue against 75% a year earlier. Cost of revenue rose to $281 million from $226 million. Source
  • Q2 GTV guidance $10,100 to $10,250 million: Second-quarter GTV guidance of $10,100 to $10,250 million implies 11% to 13% year-over-year growth. Source
  • Q2 Adjusted EBITDA guidance $290 to $300 million: Second-quarter Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $290 to $300 million implies 11% to 15% year-over-year growth. Source
  • Free cash flow of $253 million: Operating cash flow was $268 million, down 10%, and free cash flow was $253 million, down from $280 million after $16 million of capital expenditure. Source
  • Share repurchases of $349 million: The company repurchased $349 million of shares and ended the quarter with about $880 million in cash and similar assets. Source
  • Reinvestment to accelerate growth: Management said the foundation allows investment in AI Solutions, international expansion and in-store technologies to accelerate growth over time. Source

“Q1 was a milestone quarter - surpassing $10 billion in GTV and $1 billion in total revenue for the first time.”

Chris Rogers, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
GTV Sourcesecond quarter 2026$10,100 - $10,250 million
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcesecond quarter 2026$290 - $300 million

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Acquired Instaleap, a global enablement and fulfillment platform with retailer relationships in nearly 30 countries, to expand Instacart Enterprise internationally. Source
  • New: ALDI relaunched its website and app on Storefront Pro, with Instacart named exclusive fulfillment partner across ALDI's website and app nationwide. Source
  • New: Hy-Vee and Raley's moved to price parity on the marketplace in the first quarter; later, Fareway and several local independent grocers also moved to parity. Source
  • New: Introduced a suite of AI Solutions, led by Cart Assistant, a conversational shopping experience. Source
  • New: Launched an integration with Anthropic's Claude that lets users build grocery carts with personalized results inside an AI assistant. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • First quarter above $10 billion GTV: GTV reached $10,288 million, up 13%, and total revenue $1,019 million, up 14%. Management said this was the first quarter above $10 billion GTV and $1 billion total revenue. Source
  • Net income and Adjusted EBITDA both up: GAAP net income was $144 million, up 36%, and Adjusted EBITDA was $300 million, up 23%. Adjusted EBITDA margin was 29% of total revenue, against 27% a year earlier. Source
  • Ninth straight quarter of double-digit GTV growth: Management cited a ninth consecutive quarter of double-digit GTV growth and its fastest advertising and other revenue growth since Q3 2023. Source

Advertising and brand demand

  • Advertising and other revenue up 16%: Advertising and other revenue was $286 million, up 16% year-over-year, or 2.8% of GTV, which management called its fastest growth since Q3 2023. Source
  • Brand self-service tools gaining traction: New brands can launch campaigns in minutes with automated tools. AI-powered recommendations in the self-service Ads Manager are gaining traction, per management. Source
  • Measurement case studies released: Case studies with five brands were released to show how Instacart Ads drive consumer demand, per the company. Source

“We started the year with strong momentum, delivering a ninth consecutive quarter of double-digit GTV growth and our fastest advertising and other revenue growth since Q3 2023.”

Emily Reuter, CFO

Retail partners, products and AI

  • ALDI made exclusive fulfillment partner: ALDI's website and app were relaunched on Storefront Pro, with Instacart as exclusive fulfillment partner nationwide across both channels. Source
  • Price parity extended to more grocers: Hy-Vee and Raley's moved to marketplace price parity in Q1. Fareway then launched on marketplace and Storefront Pro at parity, and several local independent grocers also moved to parity. Source
  • AI Solutions suite gaining momentum: The new AI Solutions suite is led by Cart Assistant, with early partners Kroger and Sprouts and recent additions including Food Bazaar, Heritage Grocers and Woodman's. Source
  • Claude integration launched: A new integration with Anthropic's Claude lets users build grocery carts with real-time results inside an AI assistant, per the company. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • GAAP gross margin fell to 72%: GAAP gross profit was $738 million, up 10%, or 72% of total revenue against 75% a year earlier. Cost of revenue rose to $281 million from $226 million. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses lower as share of GTV: Adjusted total operating expenses were $463 million, or 4.5% of GTV, against 4.9% a year earlier. Adjusted sales and marketing expense rose to $217 million. Source
  • General and administrative expense declined: G&A expense fell to $88 million from $126 million. Legal and regulatory accruals were $1 million in the quarter, against $40 million a year earlier. Source

“Our operating fundamentals are solid and give us the flexibility to reinvest to further accelerate growth, pursue strategic M&A, and opportunistically return capital through share repurchases as we focus on maximizing long-term shareholder value.”

Emily Reuter, CFO

Demand and second-quarter guidance

  • Orders up 10%, GTV up 13%: Orders reached 91.2 million, up 10% year-over-year, while GTV grew 13%. The company said GTV is expected to keep outpacing orders growth. Source
  • Q2 GTV guidance $10,100 to $10,250 million: Second-quarter GTV guidance of $10,100 to $10,250 million implies 11% to 13% year-over-year growth. Source
  • Q2 Adjusted EBITDA guidance $290 to $300 million: Second-quarter Adjusted EBITDA guidance of $290 to $300 million implies 11% to 15% year-over-year growth. Source
  • No forward GAAP reconciliation for EBITDA: No GAAP equivalent was given for Adjusted EBITDA guidance, citing uncertain reconciling items such as stock-based compensation and certain legal and regulatory accruals. Source

Capital, cash and returns

  • Free cash flow of $253 million: Operating cash flow was $268 million, down 10%, and free cash flow was $253 million, down from $280 million after $16 million of capital expenditure. Source
  • Share repurchases of $349 million: The company repurchased $349 million of shares and ended the quarter with about $880 million in cash and similar assets. Source
  • Repurchase total differs between sections: The cash flow statement shows $359 million of repurchases of common stock for the quarter, against $349 million of shares repurchased in the highlights. Source
  • Cash and equivalents slightly lower: Cash and cash equivalents were $631 million at March 31, 2026, against $637 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Strategy and investment priorities

  • Reinvestment to accelerate growth: Management said the foundation allows investment in AI Solutions, international expansion and in-store technologies to accelerate growth over time. Source
  • Platform parts reinforce each other: Management said the marketplace, enterprise platform and ads ecosystem are each getting stronger and compounding together. Source
  • Consumer priorities drive the platform: Management said it is improving selection, quality, affordability and convenience, and that these efforts supported surpassing $10 billion GTV in the quarter. Source

Shoppers and workforce programs

  • Merit America scholarships announced: The company announced $20K in annual scholarships for shoppers through Merit America, a career upskilling program. Source
  • Flexible shopper earnings described: The company describes itself as creating flexible earning opportunities for shoppers while partnering with more than 2,200 retail banners. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • Carrot Ads partner expansion continues: Management said it is expanding its Carrot Ads partner network with new partners, including ALDI, Dierbergs, Fareway and Jerry's Foods. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Orders Source91.2 million
GTV Source$10,288 million
Carrot Ads partners Sourceover 310
Brand partners Sourceover 9,000 (as of Q4 2025)
Retail banners Sourcemore than 2,200

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Legal and regulatory accruals and settlements, net, were $1 million in Q1 2026 against $40 million a year earlier; the adjustment covers worker classification matters. Source
  • Financial: Management said reconciling items such as stock-based compensation and legal accruals could have a significant effect on future GAAP results. Source
  • Regulatory: Sales and other indirect tax reserves, net of abatements, were nil in Q1 2026 and a $1 million adjustment in Q1 2025, for periods where taxes could not be collected from customers. Source
  • Financial: Operating cash flow fell 10% to $268 million, with accrued and other current liabilities a $51 million use in the quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it remains committed to steady annual Adjusted EBITDA growth in fiscal 2026 that outpaces GTV growth. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.