logo
Microsoft becomes $4 trillion company; officially joins Jensen Huang-led Nvidia to hit milestone

Microsoft becomes $4 trillion company; officially joins Jensen Huang-led Nvidia to hit milestone

Time of Indiaa day ago
Microsoft
has crossed $4 trillion market valuation, becoming the second company after
Nvidia
to hit the milestone. According to a CNBC report, the 50-year-old software giant's shares climbed more than 5% on July 31 after it posted a better-than-expected earnings report, pushing its market cap past the $4 trillion mark.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Microsoft reported $76.4 billion in revenue, an 18% year-over-year increase, and $27.2 billion in net income, marking a 24% jump from the previous year. Microsoft's
cloud division
emerged as the standout performer, with Azure revenue jumping 39% compared to analyst estimates of 34.75%. The company's Azure cloud platform surpassed $75 billion in annual revenue for the first time with 39% growth year-over-year.
During the earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tols anaylsts: 'In our largest quarter of the year, we significantly exceeded expectations.' 'Cloud and AI is the driving force of business transformation across every industry and sector. We're innovating across the tech stack to help customers adapt and grow in this new era,' he said.
He further told anaylsts that 'we continue to lead the AI infrastructure wave and gained market share every quarter this year'.
Earlier this month, the AI chip maker notched a market capitalization of $4 trillion. Nvidia's dominance was underscored by its 7.3% weighting in the S&P 500, the largest of any company in the index. The surge in AI-driven demand has positioned Nvidia as a key player, with its chips powering cutting-edge technologies across industries.
With this, Nvidia and Microsoft have surpassed Apple to become a $4 trillion company.
The iPhone maker is third at about $3.2 trillion, with its stock having fallen 17% this year.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Apple CEO tells employees AI is 'ours to grab' in rare hour-long pep talk
Apple CEO tells employees AI is 'ours to grab' in rare hour-long pep talk

Business Standard

timean hour ago

  • Business Standard

Apple CEO tells employees AI is 'ours to grab' in rare hour-long pep talk

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, holding a rare all-hands meeting following earnings results, rallied employees around the company's artificial intelligence prospects and an 'amazing' pipeline of products. The executive gathered staff at Apple's on-campus auditorium Friday in Cupertino, California, telling them that the AI revolution is 'as big or bigger' as the internet, smartphones, cloud computing and apps. 'Apple must do this. Apple will do this. This is sort of ours to grab,' Cook told employees, according to people aware of the meeting. 'We will make the investment to do it.' The iPhone maker has been late to AI, debuting Apple Intelligence months after OpenAI, Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Microsoft Corp. and others flooded the market with products like ChatGPT. And when Apple finally released its AI tools, they fell flat. But Cook struck an optimistic tone, noting that Apple is typically late to promising new technologies. But Apple invented the 'modern' versions of those product categories, he said. 'This is how I feel about AI.' An Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the gathering. The hourlong meeting addressed a range of topics, including the retirement of operating chief Jeff Williams, increasing Apple TV+ viewership and advances in health care with features like the AirPods Pro hearing-aid technology. It also touched on donations and community service by Apple employees, the company's goal to become carbon neutral by 2030, and the impact of regulations. 'The reality is that Big Tech is under a lot of scrutiny around the world,' Cook said. 'We need to continue to push on the intention of the regulation and get them to offer that up, instead of these things that destroy the user experience and user privacy and security.' Cook often holds town hall-style chats when visiting Apple's offices around the world, but companywide meetings from the Steve Jobs Theater at headquarters are unusual. The remarks followed a blockbuster earnings report, with sales growing nearly 10 per cent during the June quarter. That beat Wall Street expectations and eased concerns about iPhone demand and a slowdown in China. Apple still faces myriad challenges, including Trump administration tariffs and a regulatory crackdown on its business practices. The company said Thursday that tariffs would bring a $1.1 billion headwind this quarter, though Apple was upbeat about sales growth. It also said that App Store revenue rose by a percentage in the double digits last quarter, despite efforts in the EU and elsewhere to further restrict that business. Echoing comments he made during the earnings conference call, Cook told employees the company is investing in AI in a 'big way.' He said 12,000 workers were hired in the last year, with 40 per cent of the new hires joining in research and development roles. Apple's chip development efforts, led by executive Johny Srouji, are key to the company's AI strategy, Cook said. Apple is working on a more powerful cloud-computing chip — code-named Baltra — to power artificial intelligence features, Bloomberg News has reported. It's also setting up a new AI server manufacturing facility in Houston. The meeting included Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, who discussed the future of Apple's Siri voice assistant. The company had planned to roll out a Siri overhaul as part of Apple Intelligence earlier this year, adding the ability to tap into user data to better fulfill requests. It was delayed, spurring management changes for the company's AI work. Federighi explained that the problem was caused by trying to roll out a version of Siri that merged two different systems: one for handling current commands — like setting timers — and another based on large language models, the software behind generative AI. 'We initially wanted to do a hybrid architecture, but we realized that approach wasn't going to get us to Apple quality,' Federighi said. Now, Apple is working on a version of Siri that moves to an entirely new architecture for all of its capabilities. That iteration is slated for as early as spring, Bloomberg News has reported, though Apple executives haven't confirmed a timeline other than a release next year. 'The work we've done on this end-to-end revamp of Siri has given us the results we needed,' the engineering executive told employees. 'This has put us in a position to not just deliver what we announced, but to deliver a much bigger upgrade than we envisioned. There is no project people are taking more seriously.' Federighi cited leadership changes, including putting Vision Pro creator Mike Rockwell and his headset software leadership team in charge of Siri, as a driving force in improving the product. He said Rockwell and his group have 'supercharged' the company's work in the area. In his speech, Cook also pushed employees to move more quickly to weave AI into their work and future products. 'All of us are using AI in a significant way already, and we must use it as a company as well,' Cook said. 'To not do so would be to be left behind, and we can't do that.' Employees should push to deploy AI tools faster, and urge their managers and service and support teams to do the same, he said. Cook also addressed the company's retail strategy, stressing that the current plan is to focus on opening new stores in emerging markets and upping the investment in Apple's online store. The iPhone maker is opening outlets in India, the United Arab Emirates and China this year, and is preparing to add its first location in Saudi Arabia next year. 'We need to be in more countries, and you'll see us go into more emerging markets in particular,' Cook said. That doesn't mean Apple will ignore other places, he said, but a 'disproportionate amount of growth' will be in new areas. The CEO also shared his enthusiasm about upcoming products, though he didn't get specific. 'I have never felt so much excitement and so much energy before as right now,' he said. Bloomberg News has previously reported that Apple plans to launch its first foldable iPhone next year and is also working on a stream of smart home devices. New headset products, smart glasses, a push into robotics and a redesigned iPhone for the two-decade anniversary are also underway. 'The product pipeline, which I can't talk about: It's amazing, guys. It's amazing,' Cook said. 'Some of it you'll see soon, some of it will come later, but there's a lot to see.'

Trump fires data chief after disappointing jobs report shakes markets
Trump fires data chief after disappointing jobs report shakes markets

Business Standard

timean hour ago

  • Business Standard

Trump fires data chief after disappointing jobs report shakes markets

President Donald Trump got some bad economic news Friday, and responded by shooting the messenger. Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, hours after it sent markets tumbling with a report that showed a dramatic slowdown in US hiring. It's an escalation of his campaign against economic institutions long held to be above partisan politics — one that until now has principally targeted the Federal Reserve. And Trump got an unexpected opportunity that same afternoon to exert more influence at the central bank too, when Governor Adriana Kugler announced her imminent resignation, just as investors were still digesting the jobs numbers and the BLS news. He'll now get to name a replacement, likely one who's inclined to support his drive for lower interest rates. There's already widespread concern about Trump's relentless pressure on the Fed and its chief Jerome Powell to cut rates, since the consensus is that central banks do a better job of taming inflation when politicians leave them alone. His move against US data agencies now risks damaging the integrity of the world's most important statistics – numbers that can move global markets by trillions of dollars at a time. Trump's targeting of the BLS will 'spark general anxiety in the market that politics may bleed over into future economic considerations,' said Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment strategist at PNC Asset Management Group. 'The bigger concern now for investors is what is the next step? Will Trump threaten to fire Fed Chair Powell again after this?' And these questions arise with the US already facing a 'nasty cycle,' Ma said, where growth slows and inflation starts to rise. Trump used Friday's hiring numbers to renew his attack on Powell, who'd cited a solid jobs market as one reason for holding interest rates steady earlier this week. There was a silver lining for the president: Markets immediately started pricing in a September cut when the data came in. Two-year Treasury bonds – which are tightly linked to short-term Fed rates – soared the most since 2023, sending yields down almost 30 basis points. The announcement of Kugler's departure, and the prospect of a Trump pick joining the Fed in her place, amplified rate-cut bets for later in the year. Meanwhile the S&P 500 index was slumping, the president was directing barbs at McEntarfer, and economists linked to both political parties were jumping to her defense. The BLS on Friday slashed its payroll estimates for the previous couple of months, as well as posting a below-forecast number for July. It's the latest in a series of unusually large revisions, which have drawn Trump's ire before – including in the runup to last year's election. 'Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes,' Trump posted Friday on social media. He later added that the figures 'were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' But US data agencies enjoy a global reputation for 'gold standard' statistics – one Trump may now be putting in danger — and economists of all stripes dismissed the idea of politically motivated manipulation. 'There's just absolutely no evidence' that McEntarfer had any desire to fake the numbers, said Michael Strain of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. William Beach, who was appointed to head the BLS during Trump's first term, called her firing 'totally groundless' and said it sets a 'dangerous precedent.' McEntarfer will be replaced at the BLS on an acting basis by William Wiatrowski, currently the deputy chief, the administration said. As for Kugler, whose term was due to end in January, it's not clear who'll be appointed to fill her seat – and it could be a decision with major consequences. Even before her early departure, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had suggested the administration might nominate a replacement for Kugler who'd then be elevated into the post of Fed chair. At the start of Friday, before all the drama that followed – the shock job numbers, BLS firing and Fed departure – Trump had issued a call to arms on social media, urging members of the central bank's board to defy their chair and vote for lower interest rates. 'ASSUME CONTROL, AND DO WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS HAS TO BE DONE!' he wrote. Later on, departing the White House, the president told reporters he was 'very happy' that he now has an open spot on the board — and posted that Powell should follow Kugler's example and resign.

US has 'makings of a deal' with China, Trump aide says
US has 'makings of a deal' with China, Trump aide says

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

US has 'makings of a deal' with China, Trump aide says

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday that he believed that Washington has the makings of a deal with China and that he was "optimistic" about the path forward. "This week's negotiations in Stockholm have advanced our talks with China, and I believe that we have the makings of a deal that will benefit both of our great nations," Bessent said in a post on X that was subsequently deleted. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Healthcare Project Management Data Science MBA others Management Product Management Digital Marketing Public Policy healthcare Operations Management MCA Leadership Finance Cybersecurity Artificial Intelligence Data Analytics Design Thinking Degree Data Science PGDM CXO Others Technology Skills you'll gain: Financial Analysis in Healthcare Financial Management & Investing Strategic Management in Healthcare Process Design & Analysis Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Certificate Program in Healthcare Management Starts on Jun 13, 2024 Get Details "I am optimistic about the path forward," he added. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bank Owned Properties For Sale In Nassau (Prices May Surprise You) Foreclosed Homes | Search ads Search Now Undo A Treasury Department spokesperson said the post was being reposted because the images attached to it had not uploaded correctly. The spokesperson also noted that the language in the post was in line with what Bessent had said in various media interviews this week. In an interview with CNBC on Thursday, Bessent said the United States believes it has the makings of a trade deal with China, but it is "not 100% done." Live Events U.S. negotiators "pushed back quite a bit" over two days of trade talks with the Chinese in Stockholm this week, Bessent told CNBC. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with President Donald Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached preliminary deals in May and June to end escalating tit-for-tat tariffs and a cut-off of rare earth minerals .

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store