阿里，懂得取舍

Core Insights - Alibaba's Q3 2025 revenue reached approximately 247.8 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15%, driven primarily by cloud services and instant retail [1] - The company reported a significant increase in sales expenses, with a year-on-year rise of approximately 34 billion yuan, indicating a high investment in the Taobao flash purchase segment [1] - Capital expenditures remained high at 31.5 billion yuan, reflecting ongoing investments in AI and cloud infrastructure [1][6] Revenue Growth Drivers - Cloud services contributed 10.2 billion yuan to revenue growth, with a year-on-year growth rate of 34% [1] - Instant retail, including flash purchases, added 8.6 billion yuan, showing a remarkable growth rate of 60% [1] - Domestic e-commerce contributed 8.5 billion yuan, with a more modest growth rate of 9% [1] Financial Performance - Operating profit for Q3 2025 was approximately 5.4 billion yuan, a decrease of 29.9 billion yuan compared to the same period last year [1] - Adjusted EBITDA for the Chinese e-commerce group fell by about 33.8 billion yuan year-on-year, reflecting the impact of high sales expenses and competitive pressures [1][3] Strategic Focus - The company is shifting its capital allocation towards core businesses such as AI and instant retail, leading to a significant reduction in share buyback activities [2] - Management indicated that the high investment phase for the flash purchase business is expected to taper off in the next quarter as efficiency improves [4] AI and Cloud Investments - Alibaba's cloud revenue reached 39.8 billion yuan in Q3 2025, with a year-on-year growth of 34%, indicating strong demand for AI-related products [6] - AI-related products have seen triple-digit growth for nine consecutive quarters, accounting for about 20% of external revenue [6] - The company plans to continue significant capital expenditures in AI, with a total of 380 billion yuan earmarked for the next three years [6][7] Valuation and Market Position - The shift towards AI and cloud services is seen as a strategic move to enhance Alibaba's valuation, similar to Amazon's transformation through AWS [7] - The current cash flow situation indicates that while Alibaba has sufficient funds for continued investment, a more prudent approach is being adopted to ensure financial stability [7]