Pour one out for the calorie counters. WW International (Weight Watchers) and its guilt-based dieting is reportedly preparing to go the way of Chapter 11. Sigh. Shares of WW cratered nearly 60% on Wednesday after the Wall Street Journal broke the news, bringing the stock down to a jaw-dropping $0.18 (a.k.a. Levels that would make the pink sheet boys get horned up). 

(Source: Giphy) 

And honestly, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner. When your entire business model is built on the idea that people will pay to track calories and sit through group therapy-lite pep talks, and then a pharmaceutical company drops a once-a-week injection that nukes appetite and melts fat? Yeah, you’re f*ked. 

To make matters worse, this was a stock that once traded at $100 back in 2018. Now, their once $6.7 billion market cap is sitting at a measly $33 million. Ooof. So why, the fallout here? Two words you already know: Ozempic and Wegovy. These GLP-1 weight-loss drugs didn’t just disrupt WW’s business, they’ve obliterated it. No one wants a “behavior change plan” when they can just jab themselves with a miracle drug and drop weight without giving up carbs. And WW knew this was coming. That’s why they tried to pivot in 2023 by acquiring Sequence, a telehealth platform that prescribes the very drugs eating them alive. But it was too little, too late. The company got caught flat-footed while Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly turned obesity into a $2 trillion pharma gold rush.

(Source: New York Post) 

Now WW is sitting on $1.6 billion in debt. They’ve already tapped the last of a $175 million loan to stay liquid, or as they put it, to maintain “financial flexibility”. Translation: They’ve officially run out of options. Add in declining revenue, collapsing membership, and a brand that feels like a relic from a pre-Ozempic world, and the writing’s been on the wall for a while.

Plus, let’s not forget the OG of free things, Oprah. She stepped down from the board after admitting she was using weight-loss medication herself. When your most famous ambassador, the one who literally helped keep the brand alive, bails and admits she’s ditched your entire model, it’s game over. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Which means WW is officially in its death era. It’s gotten humiliated by innovation in an industry that’s spent decades convincing people that weight loss was about willpower and discipline. Big Pharma came in and said, “Nope, it’s hormones and GLP-1s. Take this shot and watch the pounds fall off.” And naturally, the market responded accordingly, with a redistribution of power on a biblical scale. WW is worth $33 million, while Novo Nordisk (Ozempic and Wegovy), is valued at $2.6 trillion. 

So yeah, WW is getting ready to file. Not because of tariffs, not because of inflation, not because of some macroeconomic black swan. It’s filing because the future of weight loss showed up faster than it could pivot, and no amount of pep talks or point systems could save it. Meaning, what’s left now is a brand trying to stay alive in a world that clearly points to not needing it anymore. What a time to be alive. For now, keep your eyes on this story, and place your bets accordingly. Until, next time friends.

P.S. The markets played a better rendition of “Eruption” than Eddie Van Halen yesterday, and everyone and their mom was in the mix. However, it was the Stocks.News premium members who really ate good. Click here to ensure you get the juicy exclusive’s for todays price action here… 

Stocks.News does not hold positions in companies mentioned in the article.