The sluggish economy hurts Google and Microsoft

• Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, reported that in the three months ending in September, sales increased merely 6% to $69 billion.
• It represented the US company’s poorest quarterly growth outside of the pandemic’s beginning in nearly ten years.
• Fears of an economic slump have increased as a result of a slowdown in sales at internet titans.

Fears of an economic slump have increased as a result of a dramatic slowdown in sales at internet titans Alphabet and Microsoft.

The company Alphabet, which owns Google and YouTube, reported that in the three months ending in September, sales increased merely 6% to $69 billion.

It represented the US company’s poorest quarterly growth outside of the pandemic’s beginning in nearly ten years.

Microsoft reported that there was a decline in demand for its technology, including PCs.

Sales increased 11% to $50.1 billion, which was the smallest revenue rise in the previous five years.

Fears of a worldwide recession are growing as consumers and businesses throughout the world make budget cuts in response to rising prices and interest rates.

American companies have also been harmed by a high US currency, which has increased the cost of exporting goods.

Alphabet’s profits fell by over 30% to $13.9 billion in the quarter as YouTube ad revenues fell for the first time since the company started disclosing them to the public.

The company’s sales growth has decreased for five straight quarters.

Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s boss, stated that the company was “sharpening” its focus and “responding to the economic climate.”

According to Evelyn Mitchell, chief analyst at Insider Intelligence, “when Google fails, it’s a poor portent for digital advertising at large,” noting that Google’s primary website has historically been more robust to declines in ad expenditure than social media platforms like Facebook or Snap.

“If market circumstances continue to worsen, Google faces challenging times,” the report said.

Microsoft predicted that as business clients make cuts, demand for its PC and cloud computing technology would continue to decline this year.

The Xbox video game division’s sales have also declined.

As customers and workers became increasingly dependent on their technology as a result of the pandemic, big IT companies saw a rise in their sales. But given the current environment, the sector’s prospects seem grimmer.

In recent months, Microsoft eliminated employees while Alphabet claimed it was limiting hiring.

Many other internet firms have made the decision to reduce employee numbers, such as Netflix and Twitter, or to slow the hiring process, such as social media site Snap.

In Tuesday’s after-hours trade, shares of Microsoft and Alphabet both dropped significantly.

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