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Snap Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue grew 12 percent: Revenue reached $1,528.8 million, up 12% from $1,363.2 million a year earlier. Management said revenue growth accelerated during the quarter. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled: Adjusted EBITDA was $233.3 million against $108.4 million, up 115%; the margin was 15% against 8%. Operating cash flow was $326.8 million, up 116%. Source
  • Free cash flow rose to $286 million: Free cash flow was $286.0 million against $114.4 million, up 150%. Trailing twelve-month free cash flow reached $608.8 million. Source
  • Daily users returned to growth: Global DAU reached 483 million, up 5%, after 474 million in Q4 2025. Rest of World DAU rose 12% to 294 million; North America fell 7% to 92 million and Europe 2% to 97 million. Source
  • Other Revenue up 87%: Other Revenue, described as directly monetized Snapchat engagement, rose 87% to $285 million. Source
  • Buybacks rose to $350 million: Repurchases of Class A common stock were $350.5 million against $257.1 million. Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, was $39.4 million. Source
  • Revenue diversification is the focus: Management said it is focused on accelerating and diversifying revenue growth, citing Sponsored Snaps, Dynamic Product Ads, Other Revenue and AI Sponsored Snaps. Source
  • About 1,000 roles affected by restructuring: An earlier memo signed by Evan said the changes would affect about 1,000 team members, 16% of full-time staff, and close more than 300 open roles. US leavers would receive four months of severance.

“In Q1, we returned to growth in daily active users, accelerated revenue growth, expanded margins, and generated strong free cash flow,”

Evan Spiegel, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Annualized cost base reductionby second half of 2026more than $500 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Snap launched AI Sponsored Snaps, an AI-powered interactive ad format in Chat for brands. Source
  • New: Snap expanded its strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to bring its Snapdragon SoC to future generations of Specs. Source
  • New: Management announced organizational changes affecting about 1,000 team members, including 16% of full-time employees, and closing more than 300 open roles.

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue grew 12 percent: Revenue reached $1,528.8 million, up 12% from $1,363.2 million a year earlier. Management said revenue growth accelerated during the quarter. Source
  • Net loss narrowed to $89 million: Net loss was $89.0 million against $139.6 million, and diluted loss per share was $0.05 against $0.08. Operating loss was $74.4 million against $193.8 million. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA more than doubled: Adjusted EBITDA was $233.3 million against $108.4 million, up 115%; the margin was 15% against 8%. Operating cash flow was $326.8 million, up 116%. Source
  • Free cash flow rose to $286 million: Free cash flow was $286.0 million against $114.4 million, up 150%. Trailing twelve-month free cash flow reached $608.8 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • Daily users returned to growth: Global DAU reached 483 million, up 5%, after 474 million in Q4 2025. Rest of World DAU rose 12% to 294 million; North America fell 7% to 92 million and Europe 2% to 97 million. Source
  • North America revenue grew 2%: North America revenue was $851.3 million, up 2%. Europe revenue was $323.9 million, up 45%, and Rest of World revenue was $353.7 million, up 15%. Source
  • ARPU rose 7% to $3.17: ARPU was $3.17, up 7%. North America ARPU was $9.23, up 10%; Europe was $3.34, up 48%; Rest of World was $1.20, up 3%. Source

“We remain focused on disciplined execution as we invest in Specs and our long-term opportunity in intelligent eyewear and look forward to sharing more at AWE on June 16th.”

Evan Spiegel, CEO

Products, ads and customers

  • Other Revenue up 87%: Other Revenue, described as directly monetized Snapchat engagement, rose 87% to $285 million. Source
  • Dynamic Product Ads revenue up 30%: Dynamic Product Ads revenue grew more than 30%, and adoption among small and medium-sized customers more than doubled. Source
  • Sponsored Snaps performance gains: Per-impression click-through rates on Sponsored Snaps rose 226% and 7-day conversion volume rose 59%. AI Sponsored Snaps was also launched. Source
  • Promoted Places campaign lift: A Carl's Jr. Promoted Places campaign achieved an 18% lift in incremental visits, with gains in ad awareness and brand favorability. Source

Costs and margins

  • Operating loss narrowed: Operating loss was $74.4 million, or negative 5% of revenue, against $193.8 million, or negative 14%. Total costs and expenses rose to $1,603.2 million from $1,557.1 million. Source
  • Research and development spending rose: Cost of revenue was $665.2 million against $639.6 million. R&D was $478.3 million against $424.2 million; sales and marketing was $239.0 million against $258.0 million. Source
  • Interest costs rose: G&A fell to $220.7 million from $235.4 million. Interest expense rose to $36.8 million from $23.4 million, while interest income fell to $26.5 million from $37.0 million. Source
  • Stock-based compensation rose slightly: Stock-based compensation was $250.0 million against $247.3 million. Payroll tax on it was $13.0 million against $17.2 million. Source

Community and engagement

  • Monthly users reached 956 million: Monthly active users reached 956 million, an increase of 43 million or 5% year-over-year. Source
  • Spotlight posters grew sharply: Spotlight posters rose nearly 74% in the US and over 61% globally, linked to the focus on authentic content made with the Snapchat Camera. Source
  • AR Lenses used billions of times daily: The community used AR Lenses more than 9 billion times per day on average; 75% of Snapchatters engaged with AR every day on average. Source
  • Snap Map passed 450 million users: Snap Map reached over 450 million global monthly active users in Q1. Source

Capital, cash and returns

  • Buybacks rose to $350 million: Repurchases of Class A common stock were $350.5 million against $257.1 million. Cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, was $39.4 million. Source
  • Cash and securities near $2.8 billion: Cash and cash equivalents were $1,061.9 million and marketable securities $1,761.0 million at March 31, 2026. Long-term debt, net, was $3,488.7 million. Source
  • Capital spending rose slightly: Purchases of property and equipment were $40.8 million against $37.2 million. Source
  • Receivables fell from year-end: Accounts receivable, net, was $1,187.2 million at March 31, 2026, against $1,372.2 million at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Share count including awards rose: Common shares outstanding were 1,697.3 million, up 1%. Shares underlying stock-based awards were 189.9 million, up 40%, bringing the total to 1,887.1 million, up 3.5%. Source

Specs and strategy

  • Revenue diversification is the focus: Management said it is focused on accelerating and diversifying revenue growth, citing Sponsored Snaps, Dynamic Product Ads, Other Revenue and AI Sponsored Snaps. Source
  • Qualcomm chip for future Specs: Snap expanded its collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to bring the Snapdragon SoC to future Specs generations, strengthening the platform for developers and partners. Source
  • Specs Lens submissions up 28%: Specs Lens creation showed sustained growth, with the number of Lenses submitted up 28% year-over-year. Source
  • Developers building Specs experiences: Developers are building experiences for Specs ahead of launch, including Fossils, an AR learning experience, and Artel, an AR drawing app. Source

People and leadership

  • Full-time headcount rose to 5,381: Full-time employees were 5,381 at quarter end, up from 5,261 in Q4 2025 and up 6% year-over-year. Source
  • About 1,000 roles affected by restructuring: An earlier memo signed by Evan said the changes would affect about 1,000 team members, 16% of full-time staff, and close more than 300 open roles. US leavers would receive four months of severance.

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • Specs update at AWE on June 16: Management plans to share more about Specs at AWE on June 16. Source
  • Specs launch experiences in progress: Developers are building immersive experiences in preparation for Specs launch. The document gives no launch date. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Small and medium-sized customer adoption of Dynamic Product Ads Sourcemore than doubled

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Management said the organizational change would be difficult and would not be seamless.

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management stated an expectation to reduce the annualized cost base by more than $500 million by the second half of 2026. The current release does not report progress.
  • Not stated: Developers are building experiences in preparation for the Specs launch. The release gives no status on launch timing. 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.