Alphabet Crushes Q3 Earnings, Reports First $100 Billion Quarter
Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) just reminded Wall Street why it remains one of the most dominant forces in tech.
The company’s third-quarter earnings, reported after the close on Wednesday, Oct. 28, shattered expectations, sending shares surging roughly 7% in after-hours trading.
After a turbulent first half of the year filled with AI-related competition fears and regulatory scrutiny, Alphabet has come roaring back.
Its latest results showed that not only have those concerns eased, but many have also transformed into competitive advantages.
Across every significant segment, growth was noteworthy. Search, YouTube, and Cloud all had strong quarters, reaffirming Google’s dominance as its leadership in AI becomes a clear differentiator rather than a defensive strategy.
Alphabet Crosses the $100 Billion Revenue Mark
For the first time, Alphabet posted quarterly revenue above $100 billion, a milestone that underscores how rapidly the company’s AI-driven transformation is paying off.
The tech giant generated $102.35 billion in Q3 revenue, topping analyst estimates of $99.89 billion, while net income jumped to $34.97 billion, up sharply from $26.3 billion a year ago. The company's earnings per share (EPS) of $2.87 blew past analyst expectations by 58 cents.
That represents nearly 14% year-over-year (YOY) revenue growth, a remarkable acceleration given the company’s scale. CEO Sundar Pichai credited the results to Alphabet’s early and aggressive investment in AI, which has now become the engine behind faster growth across all its platforms, including its rapidly expanding Cloud segment.
Pichai said AI is now deeply integrated into the products billions of people use daily, making them “smarter, more helpful, and more personalized.” The payoff: higher engagement, stronger monetization, and accelerating revenue growth.
Advertising Dominates, but Cloud and YouTube Drive the Story
Advertising remains the cornerstone of Alphabet’s business, accounting for $74.18 billion of total revenue. Google Search delivered a powerful $56.56 billion, up 15% YOY, while YouTube contributed $10.26 billion, both beating Wall Street’s forecasts.
But the real breakout came from Google Cloud, which continues to be one of the company’s most dynamic growth engines. The division posted $15.15 billion in revenue, up an impressive 35% YOY and ahead of the $14.8 billion analysts expected. The Cloud backlog swelled to $155 billion, a clear signal of growing enterprise adoption.
Executives noted that AI-driven demand is now a significant revenue contributor, with Pichai revealing that Google Cloud has signed more billion-dollar deals this year than in the previous two years combined. AI-related products alone generated “billions of dollars” in revenue during the quarter.
In essence, Alphabet’s strategy to infuse AI across every vertical is bearing fruit, driving record results in both its legacy businesses and its emerging growth segments.
Capital Expenditure Revised Upward
In a move that signals confidence in its growth trajectory, Alphabet raised its capital expenditure forecast for 2025 to $91 to $93 billion, up from its previous estimate of $85 billion. The increase is primarily tied to ongoing investments in AI infrastructure, particularly in data centers and semiconductor development that support both Google Cloud and the company’s broader AI initiatives.
While this level of spending may appear aggressive, it underscores Alphabet's view of AI not as a short-term opportunity but as the defining growth engine of the next decade.
Alphabet Emerges as a Clear AI Winner
Alphabet’s latest quarter was more than just another earnings beat; it was a reaffirmation of the company’s evolution. What began as a search engine powerhouse has now become an AI-first ecosystem driving innovation across cloud computing, digital advertising, and content creation.
With accelerating growth, a billion-dollar cloud backlog, expanding margins, and an AI strategy firing on all cylinders, Alphabet stands apart as one of the few mega-cap tech names executing at full throttle.
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