Alphabet turns cash negative on AI
Alphabet experienced a 10% stock drop in after-hours trading following a third-quarter earnings report that missed Wall Street expectations for both overall revenue and core advertising sales. Despite total revenue climbing 25% to $127.6 billion and Google Cloud revenue doubling to $30.7 billion due to massive artificial intelligence demand, investors grew increasingly anxious over mounting financial pressures. The company reported a negative free cash flow of $9.1 billion, driven by unprecedented infrastructure investments and a significant investment loss largely tied to SpaceX shares. While products like the Gemini app reached one billion users, executives acknowledged that newer AI features currently monetize at lower rates and consume heavy capital. Ultimately, financial analysts and market participants are questioning whether Alphabet's immense artificial intelligence spending will generate sufficient profitability to justify its surging capital expenditures and preserve its core profit margins.