Following a weaker-than-expected fourth-quarter performance, Pinterest CEO Bill Ready sought to position the visual discovery platform alongside leading AI search tools, drawing comparisons with ChatGPT to underline its scale and commercial potential.
Ready highlighted that Pinterest records around 80 billion searches per month, surpassing ChatGPT’s estimated 75 billion monthly searches based on third-party data. He added that Pinterest generates approximately 1.7 billion monthly clicks, describing the platform as “one of the largest search destinations in the world.” More than half of Pinterest searches are commercial in intent, he noted — significantly higher than the estimated 2% attributed to ChatGPT.
However, the company’s financial results disappointed investors. Pinterest reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.32 billion, narrowly missing expectations of $1.33 billion. Earnings per share came in at 67 cents, below the projected 69 cents.
Guidance for the first quarter of 2026 also fell short of market forecasts. The company expects revenue between $951 million and $971 million, compared with expectations of $980 million.
Pinterest attributed the shortfall primarily to reduced spending from larger advertisers, particularly in Europe, alongside the impact of a new furniture tariff introduced in October that affected its home category. The company warned that these pressures may intensify in the first quarter.
Despite the earnings miss, user growth exceeded expectations. Monthly active users rose 12% year-on-year to 619 million, beating Wall Street’s forecast of 613 million.
Shares fell 20% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
Pinterest has historically faced challenges converting strong platform engagement into advertising revenue. Users often turn to the platform for inspiration and planning rather than immediate purchases — a dynamic that could become more complex in an AI-driven landscape. As advertisers increasingly prioritise platforms demonstrating clearer purchase intent, such as chatbot queries for product recommendations, competition for ad spend may intensify.
Addressing concerns about AI-powered shopping trends, Ready pointed to Pinterest’s strengths in visual search, discovery and personalisation, emphasising that the platform’s technology is designed to surface relevant products as soon as users open the app.
