Alphabet, the parent company of Google, reported impressive first-quarter earnings on Thursday, April 25, 2024. The tech giant's stock surged in after-hours trading following the announcement of a $70 billion share buyback and a quarterly cash dividend of $0.20 per share.
Google reported revenue of over $80.5 billion for the first quarter, up 15% from the same period last year and ahead of analysts' expectations. The company also reported a nearly $23.7 billion profit for the first quarter, up 57% year-over-year.
CEO Sundar Pichai attributed Google's success to investments in artificial intelligence (AI), specifically its large language model and AI products called Gemini. He expressed confidence in Google's ability to expand search capabilities using AI and monetize it at the same time.
Revenue in Google Cloud jumped 28% to $9.57 billion, with operating income more than quadrupling to $900 million. Alphabet announced its first-ever quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share and a plan to repurchase an additional $70 billion in stock.
Google Cloud houses much of Alphabet's AI technology, which is turning into sales. Operating income more than quadrupled to $900 million. CEO Sundar Pichai has seen 'early confirmation' that Google can use AI to expand search capabilities and monetize it at the same time in the coming quarters.
Google reported strong growth across its Search, YouTube, and Cloud divisions. The company continues to invest heavily in AI research and infrastructure, positioning itself well for future innovation.
Other tech companies also reported earnings during this period. Meta (Facebook) reported a restructuring aimed at cutting costs but noted a net loss of $305 million for the March quarter, an improvement from its loss a year ago and better than analysts expected. Microsoft's Azure cloud business experienced strong growth, with CEO Satya Nadella announcing the launch of Copilot for Microsoft 365, an AI chat assistant built into its existing suite of business products.
Snap reported $1.19 billion revenue for the first three months of the year and a 10% increase in daily active users. The social media company is also investing in AI to improve its advertising offerings and user experience.