AI bets pay off as Microsoft and Alphabet profits surge
Silicon RepublicApr 26
Microsoft, Google Report Profits Fueled by AI Investment
The Facts
Tech firms Google and Microsoft reported major profit increases for Q1 of 2024, driving up their respective stock prices and possibly indicating the viability of their heavy investment in artificial intelligence (AI).
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, netted $23.7B in profit, up 57% from Q1 of last year, which Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said was largely fueled by AI text-to-image model Gemini. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s profits rose 20% from Q1 of 2023, as the company earned $21.9B.
The Spin
Narrative A
Recent market-shattering financial reports from Microsoft and Google further vindicate their decisions to invest heavily in AI. In just one year, revolutionary technology has fundamentally transformed the technological and financial landscape, and many companies are already seeing the benefits of their investments. Long-term investment in AI will certainly pay dividends for forward-looking companies. AI is the present and the future, and it's time for companies to embrace it before the ship leaves the dock.
Narrative B
There's no denying that Microsoft and Google have reaped rewards from investment in AI. However, there's a major variable to consider before declaring AI investment as the key to prosperity for tech companies — Google and Microsoft don't represent the entire market. It's important to question whether large companies are benefiting from AI, or whether is AI growing because it's being propped up by tech giants. Regardless, it's not reasonable to make a final judgment on AI's position based on the results of a handful of established oligopolies.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that Microsoft's market cap (in 2021 USD) will be at least $4.33T, according to the Metaculus prediction community.