AI Application Layer
All research in AI Application Layer — 2 reports.
Meitu is an AI visual-tools company that uses imaging apps as its entry point and monetizes through subscriptions and usage-based fees, with a total market cap of roughly HK$21.11 billion. Its core subscription business is already working and gross margin runs above 70%, but usage-based revenue, productivity ARR, and overseas paid penetration still have to prove themselves quarter by quarter, while rising compute costs test its pricing power. Rating Hold: at the current HK$4.64 the stock sits in an acceptable holding range, and below HK$4 it becomes more attractive for new money.
The AI application layer is moving from "feature enhancement" toward "standalone revenue." The tracks that have already proven a revenue model: AI coding (GitHub Copilot/Cursor), AI customer service (NICE/Five9/Intercom Fin), legal and tax verticals (Thomson Reuters/RELX/Wolters Kluwer), and vertical healthcare plus developer tools. Business models are bifurcating across three billing layers: seat + usage + outcome. Rating Watch: prioritize researching Microsoft / ServiceNow / Salesforce / Intuit / Oracle / Thomson Reuters / Wolters Kluwer / NICE / GitLab / Tempus.