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6-K 1 tm2524489d1_6k.htm FORM 6-K

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

FORM 6-K

 

 

 

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER

PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER

THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the month of August 2025

 

Commission File Number: 001-40253

 

 

 

Zhihu Inc.

(Registrant’s Name)

 

 

 

18 Xueqing Road

Haidian District, Beijing 100083

People’s Republic of China

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

 

Form 20-F x       Form 40-F ¨

 

 

 

 


 

EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit No.

 

Description

99.1   Press Release—Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results
     
99.2   Interim Results Announcement for the Six Months Ended June 30, 2025

 

 


 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  Zhihu Inc.

 

  By :

/s/ Han Wang

  Name : Han Wang
  Title : Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: August 27, 2025

 

 

 

EX-99.1 2 tm2524489d1_ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

Zhihu Inc. Reports Unaudited Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results

 

BEIJING, China, August 27, 2025 — Zhihu Inc. (“Zhihu” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390), a leading online content community in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2025.

 

Second Quarter 2025 Highlights

 

Total revenues were RMB716.9 million (US$100.1 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB933.8 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Gross margin expanded to 62.5% in the second quarter of 2025 from 59.6% in the same period of 2024.

 

Net income was RMB72.5 million (US$10.1 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with a net loss of RMB80.6 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Adjusted net income (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB91.3 million (US$12.8 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with an adjusted net loss of RMB44.6 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Average monthly subscribing members[2] were 13.2 million in the second quarter of 2025.

 

“We achieved our third consecutive quarter of non-GAAP profitability,” said Mr. Yuan Zhou, chairman and chief executive officer of Zhihu. “This reflects the continued effectiveness of our refined operational strategies and the efficiency improvements driven by AI integration. Our community remains vibrant, with a stable user base and notable improvements in DAU time spent, core user retention, and creator activity. AI is now deeply embedded in our product experience, enhancing value for both users and creators. Zhihu has also been a key platform for AI-related content, product launches, and expert engagement. We believe the synergy arising from high-quality content, trusted creators, and AI capabilities will sharpen our differentiation and deliver significant long-term competitive advantages.”

 

Mr. Han Wang, chief financial officer of Zhihu, added, “In the second quarter, we achieved a non-GAAP net income of RMB91.3 million, compared with a non-GAAP net loss of RMB44.6 million in the same period last year. Gross margin improved by approximately 3 percentage points year-over-year to 62.5%. These results reflect the ongoing improvements to our cost structure and operating efficiency, supported by AI-driven productivity gains. We remain focused on disciplined execution and sustainable monetization to drive long-term growth.”

 

Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results

 

Total revenues were RMB716.9 million (US$100.1 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB933.8 million in the same period of 2024.

 

 1


 

Marketing services revenue was RMB222.8 million (US$31.1 million), compared with RMB344.0 million in the same period of 2024. The decrease was primarily due to our proactive and ongoing refinement of service offerings to strategically focus on margin improvement.

 

Paid membership revenue was RMB402.0 million (US$56.1 million), compared with RMB432.7 million in the same period of 2024. The slight decrease was primarily due to a decline in the number of our average monthly subscribing members.

 

Vocational training revenue was RMB62.1 million (US$8.7 million), compared with RMB133.6 million in the same period of 2024. The decrease was primarily due to the strategic refinement of our businesses.

 

Other revenues increased by 27.6% to RMB30.0 million (US$4.2 million) from RMB23.5 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Cost of revenues decreased by 28.8% to RMB268.7 million (US$37.5 million) from RMB377.3 million in the same period of 2024. The decrease was primarily due to reduced content and operating costs associated with the decline in our revenues, a decrease in personnel-related expenses and a decrease in cloud services and bandwidth costs resulting from our improved technological efficiency.

 

Gross profit was RMB448.2 million (US$62.6 million), compared with RMB556.5 million in the same period of 2024. Gross margin expanded to 62.5% from 59.6% in the same period of 2024, primarily attributable to our monetization enhancements and improvements in our operating efficiency.

 

Total operating expenses decreased by 27.2% to RMB539.2 million (US$75.3 million) from RMB740.4 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Selling and marketing expenses decreased by 21.8% to RMB326.3 million (US$45.5 million) from RMB417.0 million in the same period of 2024. The decrease was primarily due to more disciplined promotional spending and a decrease in personnel-related expenses.

 

Research and development expenses decreased by 30.4% to RMB145.7 million (US$20.3 million) from RMB209.3 million in the same period of 2024. The decrease was primarily attributable to improvements in our research and development efficiency.

 

General and administrative expenses decreased by 41.1% to RMB67.3 million (US$9.4 million) from RMB114.1 million in the same period of 2024. The decrease was primarily attributable to a decline in the allowance for expected credit losses on trade receivables and lower share-based compensation expenses.

 

Loss from operations narrowed by 50.5% to RMB91.0 million (US$12.7 million) from RMB183.9 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Adjusted loss from operations (non-GAAP)[1] narrowed by 51.4% to RMB71.5 million (US$10.0 million) from RMB147.1 million in the same period of 2024.

 

 2


 

Investment income was RMB140.8 million (US$19.7 million), compared with RMB21.8 million in the same period of 2024. The increase was primarily attributable to unrealized gains as a result of re-measuring the fair value of our investment in a privately held company associated with an observable price change in the second quarter of 2025.

 

Net income was RMB72.5 million (US$10.1 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with a net loss of RMB80.6 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Adjusted net income (non-GAAP)[1] was RMB91.3 million (US$12.8 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with an adjusted net loss of RMB44.6 million in the same period of 2024.

 

Diluted net income per American depositary share (“ADS”) was RMB0.88 (US$0.12), compared with a diluted net loss per ADS of RMB0.89 in the same period of 2024.

 

Cash and cash equivalents, term deposits, restricted cash and short-term investments

 

As of June 30, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, current and non-current term deposits, restricted cash and short-term investments of RMB4,820.8 million (US$673.0 million), compared with RMB4,859.0 million as of December 31, 2024.

 

Share Repurchase Programs

 

As of June 30, 2025, the Company had repurchased 31.1 million Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares underlying the ADSs) for a total price of US$66.5 million on both the New York Stock Exchange and The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited under the Company’s existing share repurchase programs.

 

[1] Adjusted income/(loss) from operations and adjusted net income/(loss) are non-GAAP financial measures. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures” and the table captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

[2] Monthly subscribing members refers to the number of members who subscribed for our membership packages in a specified month. Average monthly subscribing members for a period is calculated by dividing the sum of monthly subscribing members for each month during the specified period by the number of months in such period.

 

Conference Call

 

The Company's management will host a conference call at 7:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on Wednesday, August 27, 2025 (7:00 P.M. Beijing/Hong Kong Time on Wednesday, August 27, 2025) to discuss the results.

 

All participants wishing to join the conference call must pre-register online using the link provided below. Once the pre-registration has been completed, each participant will receive a set of dial-in numbers and a unique access PIN which can be used to join the conference call.

 

 3


 

Registration Link:

 

https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BI9225ac7d5dd24ef5919b95e9966af176

 

Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company’s investor relations website at https://ir.zhihu.com.

 

About Zhihu Inc.

 

Zhihu Inc. (NYSE: ZH; HKEX: 2390) is a leading online content community where people come to find solutions, make decisions, seek inspiration, and have fun. Since the initial launch in 2010, Zhihu has grown into the largest Q&A-inspired online content community in China. For more information, please visit https://ir.zhihu.com.

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

In evaluating the business, the Company considers and uses non-GAAP financial measures, such as adjusted income/(loss) from operations and adjusted net income/(loss), to supplement the review and assessment of its operating performance. The Company defines non-GAAP financial measures by excluding the impact of share-based compensation expenses, amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions and the tax effects of the non-GAAP adjustments, which are non-cash expenses. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures facilitate comparisons of operating performance from period to period and company to company by adjusting for potential impacts of items, which the Company’s management considers to be indicative of its operating performance. The Company believes that the non-GAAP financial measures provide useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating the Company’s consolidated results of operations in the same manner as they help the Company’s management.

 

The non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. The use of the non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and investors should not consider them in isolation from or as a substitute for analysis of our results of operations or financial condition as reported under U.S. GAAP. For more information on the non-GAAP financial measures, please see the tables captioned “Unaudited Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results” set forth at the end of this press release.

 

Exchange Rate Information

 

This announcement contains translations of certain Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from Renminbi to U.S. dollars were made at a rate of RMB7.1636 to US$1.00, the exchange rate in effect as of June 30, 2025 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

 

 4


 

Safe Harbor Statement

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to,” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the SEC and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

 

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

 

Zhihu Inc.

Email: ir@zhihu.com

 

Christensen Advisory

Roger Hu

Tel: +86-10-5900-1548

Email: zhihu@christensencomms.com

 

 5


 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)

 

    For the Three Months Ended     For the Six Months Ended  
   

June 30,

2024

   

March 31,

2025

   

June 30,

2025

   

June 30,

2024

   

June 30,

2025

 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
Revenues:                                                        
Marketing services     343,979       196,959       222,778       31,099       674,521       419,737       58,593  
Paid membership     432,652       417,874       401,974       56,113       882,376       819,848       114,446  
Vocational training     133,633       94,531       62,100       8,669       279,069       156,631       21,865  
Others     23,546       20,301       30,042       4,194       58,707       50,343       7,028  
Total revenues     933,810       729,665       716,894       100,075       1,894,673       1,446,559       201,932  
Cost of revenues     (377,266 )     (278,561 )     (268,711 )     (37,511 )     (794,650 )     (547,272 )     (76,396 )
Gross profit     556,544       451,104       448,183       62,564       1,100,023       899,287       125,536  
                                                         
Selling and marketing expenses     (416,985 )     (320,632 )     (326,255 )     (45,543 )     (894,939 )     (646,887 )     (90,302 )
Research and development expenses     (209,323 )     (141,866 )     (145,683 )     (20,337 )     (406,679 )     (287,549 )     (40,140 )
General and administrative expenses     (114,107 )     (41,209 )     (67,251 )     (9,388 )     (207,024 )     (108,460 )     (15,140 )
Total operating expenses     (740,415 )     (503,707 )     (539,189 )     (75,268 )     (1,508,642 )     (1,042,896 )     (145,582 )
                                                         
Loss from operations     (183,871 )     (52,603 )     (91,006 )     (12,704 )     (408,619 )     (143,609 )     (20,046 )
                                                         
Other income/(expenses):                                                        
Investment income     21,811       19,349       140,836       19,660       38,713       160,185       22,361  
Interest income     26,754       20,610       20,247       2,826       57,517       40,857       5,703  
Fair value change of financial instruments     31,412       -       -       -       40,820       -       -  
Exchange gains/(losses)     289       (96 )     (38 )     (5 )     409       (134 )     (19 )
Others, net     15,947       2,399       31,120       4,344       18,990       33,519       4,679  
                                                         
(Loss)/Income before income tax     (87,658 )     (10,341 )     101,159       14,121       (252,170 )     90,818       12,678  
Income tax benefits/(expenses)     7,063       233       (28,679 )     (4,003 )     5,779       (28,446 )     (3,971 )
Net (loss)/income     (80,595 )     (10,108 )     72,480       10,118       (246,391 )     62,372       8,707  
Net (income)/loss attributable to noncontrolling interests     (2,144 )     14       2       -       (1,194 )     16       2  
Net (loss)/income attributable to Zhihu Inc.’s shareholders     (82,739 )     (10,094 )     72,482       10,118       (247,585 )     62,388       8,709  
                                                         
Net (loss)/income per share                                                        
Basic     (0.30 )     (0.04 )     0.30       0.04       (0.88 )     0.26       0.04  
Diluted     (0.30 )     (0.04 )     0.29       0.04       (0.88 )     0.25       0.04  
                                                         
Net (loss)/income per ADS (One ADS represents three Class A ordinary shares)                                                        
Basic     (0.89 )     (0.12 )     0.90       0.13       (2.65 )     0.77       0.11  
Diluted     (0.89 )     (0.12 )     0.88       0.12       (2.65 )     0.76       0.11  
                                                         
Weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding                                                        
Basic     279,241,647       244,504,405       240,762,092       240,762,092       280,403,026       242,622,911       242,622,911  
Diluted     279,241,647       244,504,405       245,755,672       245,755,672       280,403,026       247,329,829       247,329,829  

 

 6


 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (CONTINUED)

(All amounts in thousands, except share, ADS, per share data and per ADS data)

 

    For the Three Months Ended     For the Six Months Ended  
   

June 30,

2024

   

March 31,

2025

   

June 30,

2025

   

June 30,

2024

   

June 30,

2025

 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
Share-based compensation expenses included in:                                                        
Cost of revenues     750       (872 )     10       1       3,247       (862 )     (121 )
Selling and marketing expenses     (6,063 )     262       (294 )     (41 )     (2,791 )     (32 )     (4 )
Research and development expenses     4,439       (599 )     (870 )     (121 )     8,119       (1,469 )     (205 )
General and administrative expenses     33,515       15,367       17,124       2,390       49,878       32,491       4,536  

 

 7


 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(All amounts in thousands)

 

   

As of December 31,

2024

   

As of June 30,

2025

 
    RMB     RMB     US$  
ASSETS                  
Current assets:                        
Cash and cash equivalents     3,999,160       3,198,537       446,499  
Term deposits     320,088       599,602       83,701  
Short-term investments     538,816       811,783       113,321  
Restricted cash     900       900       126  
Trade receivables     420,636       356,687       49,792  
Amounts due from related parties     41,588       20,857       2,912  
Prepayments and other current assets     163,446       137,471       19,190  
Total current assets     5,484,634       5,125,837       715,541  
Non-current assets:                        
Property and equipment, net     8,490       6,861       958  
Intangible assets, net     54,534       47,361       6,611  
Goodwill     126,344       126,344       17,637  
Long-term investments, net     51,176       165,366       23,084  
Term deposits     -       210,000       29,315  
Right-of-use assets     7,151       56,560       7,895  
Other non-current assets     623       8,203       1,145  
Total non-current assets     248,318       620,695       86,645  
Total assets     5,732,952       5,746,532       802,186  
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY                        
Current liabilities                        
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities     835,688       756,409       105,591  
Salary and welfare payables     275,260       166,906       23,299  
Taxes payables     22,081       19,085       2,664  
Contract liabilities     235,539       204,843       28,595  
Amounts due to related parties     6,825       5,489       766  
Short term lease liabilities     17,308       40,942       5,715  
Short-term borrowings     -       161,295       22,516  
Other current liabilities     131,955       118,328       16,518  
Total current liabilities     1,524,656       1,473,297       205,664  
Non-current liabilities                        
Long term lease liabilities     1,823       27,348       3,818  
Deferred tax liabilities     6,830       34,734       4,849  
Other non-current liabilities     3,957       3,605       503  
Total non-current liabilities     12,610       65,687       9,170  
Total liabilities     1,537,266       1,538,984       214,834  
                         
Total Zhihu Inc.’s shareholders’ equity     4,136,123       4,141,195       578,089  
Noncontrolling interests     59,563       66,353       9,263  
Total shareholders’ equity     4,195,686       4,207,548       587,352  
                         
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity     5,732,952       5,746,532       802,186  

 

 8


 

ZHIHU INC.

UNAUDITED RECONCILIATIONS OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS

(All amounts in thousands)

 

    For the Three Months Ended     For the Six Months Ended  
   

June 30,

2024

   

March 31,

2025

   

June 30,

2025

   

June 30,

2024

   

June 30,

2025

 
    RMB     RMB     RMB     US$     RMB     RMB     US$  
Loss from operations     (183,871 )     (52,603 )     (91,006 )     (12,704 )     (408,619 )     (143,609 )     (20,046 )
Add:                                                        
Share-based compensation expenses     32,641       14,158       15,970       2,229       58,453       30,128       4,206  
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions     4,115       3,490       3,490       487       9,480       6,980       974  
Adjusted loss from operations     (147,115 )     (34,955 )     (71,546 )     (9,988 )     (340,686 )     (106,501 )     (14,866 )
                                                         
Net (loss)/income     (80,595 )     (10,108 )     72,480       10,118       (246,391 )     62,372       8,707  
Add:                                                        
Share-based compensation expenses     32,641       14,158       15,970       2,229       58,453       30,128       4,206  
Amortization of intangible assets resulting from business acquisitions     4,115       3,490       3,490       487       9,480       6,980       974  
Tax effects on non-GAAP adjustments     (756 )     (600 )     (600 )     (84 )     (1,825 )     (1,200 )     (168 )
Adjusted net (loss)/income     (44,595 )     6,940       91,340       12,750       (180,283 )     98,280       13,719  

 

 9