Story perspectives

Microsoft, Amazon Post AI-Driven Revenue Surges, Stocks Jump

8/3/2026

Summary

Story summary

United States firms Microsoft and Amazon posted earnings showing AI infrastructure spending delivers revenue.
Microsoft reported Q4 FY2026 revenue $90 billion and Azure revenue grew 43% to exceed $100 billion annually.
Amazon reported Q2 2026 revenue $200.6 billion, with AWS revenue up 36.7% and capex guidance lifted to $220 billion.
Microsoft stock jumped 8% after hours, its biggest single-day gain, and Amazon shares rose over 9%.
South Korea’s KOSPI rose 18%; the yen fell from ¥162.80 to ¥157 and Japan spent ¥8.45 trillion on a likely record intervention.

Summary

Story summary

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook wrapped up his final earnings call, with chief-design officer John Ternus set to become CEO on September 1.
The company’s long-delayed Siri AI overhaul debuted with a modest response, prompting analysts to label Apple an AI “bystander.”
Apple’s guidance for the next quarter projected 9%-11% revenue growth, falling short of Wall Street’s 12% target and fueling concerns about future performance.
Amazon’s AWS AI and chip divisions each now generate more than $25 billion in annual revenue, underscoring the platform’s expanding role in the AI ecosystem.
Amazon’s 2026 capital-expenditure plan was raised to $220 billion, reflecting confidence that AI-driven demand will sustain its growth trajectory.

History

Historical Context

Amazon Web Services broke out of Amazon’s internal tools in 2012, when analysts first pegged its revenue at over $1.5 billion and the company held its inaugural re:Invent conference, where Netflix announced a full migration to AWS. A 2013 $600 million CIA contract and 2015 profitability confirmed the platform’s rapid scaling, cementing cloud computing as a core enterprise driver.

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Story summary

United States firms Microsoft and Amazon posted earnings showing AI infrastructure spending delivers revenue.
Microsoft reported Q4 FY2026 revenue $90 billion and Azure revenue grew 43% to exceed $100 billion annually.
Amazon reported Q2 2026 revenue $200.6 billion, with AWS revenue up 36.7% and capex guidance lifted to $220 billion.
Microsoft stock jumped 8% after hours, its biggest single-day gain, and Amazon shares rose over 9%.
South Korea’s KOSPI rose 18%; the yen fell from ¥162.80 to ¥157 and Japan spent ¥8.45 trillion on a likely record intervention.

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