Amazon shares fall on weak cloud growth while rivals Google, Microsoft thrive: ‘Very disappointing'

Core Insights - Amazon's third-quarter sales forecast exceeds market estimates, but its Amazon Web Services (AWS) performance falls short compared to competitors [1][3] - AWS revenue grew by 17.5% to $30.9 billion, but this growth rate is significantly lower than Microsoft's Azure (39%) and Google Cloud (32%) [3][5] - AWS profit margins contracted to 32.9% in Q2, down from 39.5% in Q1 and 35.5% a year ago, marking the lowest level since Q4 2023 [2] Sales and Revenue - Amazon expects total net sales for Q3 to be between $174.0 billion and $179.5 billion, surpassing analysts' average estimate of $173.08 billion [3] - Online store sales reached $61.5 billion, reflecting an 11% increase, while advertising sales grew by 23% to $15.7 billion [8][13] Competitive Landscape - AWS's growth of 17% is viewed as disappointing, with analysts suggesting that if Microsoft Azure continues its current growth trajectory, it may surpass AWS as the largest cloud provider by the end of next year [3] - Competitors like Microsoft and Alphabet have reported strong demand for their cloud services, leading to increased capital spending despite facing capacity constraints [4] Operational Challenges - Analysts express concerns over AWS's lack of a strong AI model, suggesting that Amazon may be lagging behind rivals in AI development [7] - Amazon has been reducing its workforce, with a total headcount decrease of 14,000 workers from Q1, now totaling 1.46 million [12]