Core Insights - Accenture reported solid growth in Q3 FY25 despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, with revenue increasing by 7.6% and earnings per share rising by 15%, surpassing Wall Street expectations [3][4]. Financial Performance - Revenue for Q3 FY25 was $17.7 billion, compared to $16.5 billion in Q3 FY24, reflecting a 7.6% increase [2]. - Earnings per share rose to $3.49 from $3.04, marking a 15% increase [2]. - Free cash flow was reported at $3.5 billion, up from $3.0 billion, although this was below expectations [2][6]. - New bookings totaled $19.7 billion, a decrease of 6% year over year [2][5]. Segment Performance - The financial services segment showed the strongest performance, growing by 13% year over year [4]. - Regional performance varied, with the Americas up 9%, Europe up 6%, and Asia up 4% [4]. - Companywide operating margin improved by 80 basis points to 16.8% [4]. Market Reaction - Investors reacted negatively to the decline in new bookings, leading to a 5% drop in Accenture's shares in premarket trading [7]. Future Outlook - Accenture has revised its full-year fiscal 2025 revenue growth forecast to 6% to 7%, up from the previous 5% to 7% [8]. - The company increased its earnings per share guidance to a range of $12.77 to $12.89, from $12.55 to $12.79 [8]. - Accenture plans to return at least $8.3 billion in capital to shareholders [8]. Strategic Positioning - Despite short-term uncertainties, the demand for Accenture's services in IT modernization and AI integration remains strong, positioning the company favorably for long-term growth [9].

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy ominously warned Tuesday that he expects the rise of generative artificial intelligence to “reduce” the company’s corporate workforce in the next few years.The Amazon boss, who replaced Jeff Bezos as CEO in 2021, said generative AI is a “once in a lifetime” technology that “should change the way our work is done” as the company integrates it into its business operations.As a result, Amazon will “need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing o ...