Amid disappointing earnings, Pinterest claims it sees more searches than ChatGPT

After a notably weak fourth-quarter earnings report, Pinterest CEO Bill Ready sought to cast the digital pinboard platform in a more favourable light by comparing it to the widely used AI chatbot ChatGPT.

In an effort to emphasise Pinterest’s position as a distinct and valuable search destination, Ready argued that the platform handles a higher search volume than ChatGPT. Citing third-party data, he said ChatGPT logs 75 billion searches per month, while Pinterest sees 80 billion searches and generates 1.7 billion monthly clicks.

“That makes us one of the largest search destinations in the world. And importantly, more than half of those searches are commercial in nature, compared to, I think . . . approximately 2% [of ChatGPT searches],” Ready added.

Pinterest missed fourth-quarter revenue and earnings-per-share expectations. The company posted $1.32 billion in revenue compared with the $1.33 billion analysts had expected, and it reported earnings per share of 67 cents versus the 69 cents forecast. Pinterest also said it expects first-quarter 2026 revenue to land between $951 million and $971 million, which came in below the $980 million consensus estimate.

The company attributed the shortfall to large advertisers reducing spending, particularly across Europe, and to a new furniture tariff introduced in October that disrupted the home category. Pinterest said those pressures could intensify in the first quarter.

The earnings miss was notable because the company’s user base is still expanding faster than expected. Pinterest reported monthly active users rose 12% year over year to 619 million, exceeding Wall Street’s projection of 613 million.

Shares fell 20% in after-hours trading.

Pinterest has spent years trying to convert heavy platform usage into stronger advertising revenue, in part because many users visit to plan and explore ideas rather than to shop and purchase directly. That difficulty could become even sharper in an AI-driven environment, particularly if advertisers shift budgets toward platforms where purchase intent appears more explicit—such as chatbot interactions that involve direct product recommendation requests.

When asked how Pinterest plans to respond to the broader move toward AI-powered shopping, Ready pointed to the company’s visual search, discovery, and personalisation tools. He said those features are designed to surface relevant products when users open the app.

“We’re helping them complete those commercial journeys without having to type in a single prompt,” he said. Ready also noted that Pinterest has benefited from a smoother checkout experience through its partnership with Amazon. He added that consumers do not yet appear ready to let an AI purchase items on their behalf, but said Pinterest would be positioned to support that shift if it happens. “That’ll actually be one of the easiest parts of the commercial journey to solve,” he claimed.