The Motley Fool·2025-12-02 02:00Core Viewpoint - Alphabet's stock has surged recently, positioning it nearly at a $4 trillion market cap, while Microsoft remains close with a market cap of $3.657 trillion, leading to investor interest in which stock is the better buy [1][8]. Company Overview - Alphabet, the parent company of Google, derives most of its revenue from advertising, which totaled $74.2 billion in Q3 2025, contributing to a total revenue of $102.3 billion [2][4]. - Microsoft has a diverse business model, with significant revenue from business productivity tools and cloud computing, generating $33 billion and $30.9 billion respectively in Q1 FY 2026, totaling $77.7 billion [5][8]. Revenue Growth and Stability - Alphabet's advertising revenue is currently growing, but is vulnerable to economic downturns as companies may cut back on advertising spending [4]. - Microsoft’s business and cloud computing segments are more resilient during economic downturns, showing steadier growth compared to Alphabet [5][7]. Cloud Computing Segment - Both companies are experiencing increased demand in their cloud computing operations, driven by artificial intelligence workloads, with Microsoft Azure's revenue rising 40% year over year in Q1 FY 2026 [7]. - Google Cloud's revenue grew 34% year over year in Q3 2025, and Alphabet is exploring new revenue streams by potentially selling its tensor processing units (TPUs) [8][9]. Investment Perspective - Alphabet's stock is currently trading at 31 times forward earnings, slightly more expensive than Microsoft, but potential revenue from TPUs could make it appear cheaper than it is, suggesting it may be the better buy [9][11].