Microsoft and Alphabet are getting very different reactions following Wednesday night's earnings reports. Jim Cramer believes the reason for that boils down to one thing: financial discipline. Shares of Google parent Alphabet tumbled over 12% on Thursday, on pace for their biggest one-day drop of all time. On the other hand, Microsoft shares popped at Thursday's open, before slipping less than 1% amid broader weakness in the Nasdaq . Two tech giants: one headed for a historic drop and the other experiencing a routine decline. For Jim, the key differentiator is Microsoft's ability to keep spending in check while pursuing its artificial intelligence ambitions and delivering strong growth. The cloud and software giant beat estimates across all key metrics, including revenue and earnings per share. Its Azure cloud business also grew 48% year over year in constant currency, ahead of the 45% consensus, according to FactSet. All the while, Microsoft's free cash flow came in at $18.6 billion, down just $1 billion sequentially. "What I noticed is that this is a disciplined approach with AI," Jim said Thursday morning on…
Jim Cramer: Why investors are punishing Alphabet and giving Microsoft a pass
In short
Microsoft beat expectations across key metrics, bolstered by a 48% constant-currency expansion in its Azure cloud business and $18.6 billion in free cash flow. In contrast, Alphabet suffered from decelerating Google Search growth and missed projections for revenue, operating income, and earnings per share. Commentator Jim Cramer attributed Alphabet's market drop to runaway capital expenditures and operational issues, such as renting third-party computing capacity while selling custom chips. Furthermore, Alphabet reported free cash flow slipping to negative $9.1 billion alongside plans to increase capital expenditures through 2027.
Key points
- Microsoft satisfied Wall Street by effectively controlling corporate costs while simultan…: Microsoft satisfied Wall Street by effectively controlling corporate costs while simultaneously driving artificial intelligence and cloud expansion.
- Alphabet disappointed investors by missing revenue, operating income, and earnings projec…: Alphabet disappointed investors by missing revenue, operating income, and earnings projections alongside slowing growth in its core search engine business.
- Market analysts criticized Alphabet management for operational inefficiencies, including…: Market analysts criticized Alphabet management for operational inefficiencies, including failing to adequately monetize YouTube and renting third-party compute power.