Google has officially crossed the $2 trillion market capitalization mark. This comes after a year of significant changes for the company, driven by the rise of generative AI and increased regulatory scrutiny. To adapt, Google has realigned its core teams, from Search to Android to hardware, and launched its own generative AI model, Gemini.
In response to these challenges, Google took some tough measures, including cutting projects and laying off employees. Despite these moves, the company’s parent, Alphabet, has seen a significant surge in investor confidence. Yesterday, Alphabet announced its first-ever dividend and a $70 billion share buyback, boosting its market cap to $2 trillion, a level it had briefly touched in November 2021. This achievement places Google among the world’s most valuable public companies, behind Nvidia ($2.2 trillion), Apple ($2.6 trillion), and Microsoft ($3.0 trillion).
Google’s Q1 2024 Earnings Report Drives the Leap in Market Cap
Google’s strong earnings report for Q1 2024 fueled its market cap leap. The company reported $80.5 billion in revenue, a 15 percent increase year over year, and $23.7 billion in profit, up 14 percent from the holiday quarter. This robust financial performance has reinforced investor confidence, despite layoffs earlier in the year.
Google has begun to find revenue opportunities from its AI initiatives. For example, its Performance Max tool allows advertisers to use AI to target specific audiences, resulting in 63 percent more campaigns with “good or excellent” ad strength. Additionally, Discover Financial is deploying AI tools to nearly 10,000 call center agents, and Ikea is benefiting from “value-based bidding solutions.”
While Google hasn’t yet discussed monetizing AI-generated answers in Search, CEO Sundar Pichai expressed confidence in the company’s ability to manage the costs associated with serving AI-based queries. Google aims to use AI to enhance its services without disrupting the core search experience.
Google’s ad revenue continues to grow, with search and advertising revenue both up 14 percent year over year, and YouTube ads up nearly 21 percent. The “subscriptions, platforms, and devices” segment, largely driven by premium YouTube subscriptions, saw an 18 percent increase in revenue compared to the previous year.
Google’s next major event is the annual developer conference, Google I/O, scheduled for May 14th. This conference is expected to provide more insights into Google’s AI and technology developments.
For more information, read the original article on The Verge.