Alphabet posted its second-quarter earnings after Wednesday's closing bell, beating on the headline numbers and giving a higher forecast for this year's capital expenditures. But some analysts say the debate over the future of Google's search empire is still unsettled.

Alphabet Inc. said demand for artificial intelligence products boosted quarterly sales, and now requires an extreme increase in capital spending — heightening pressure on the company to justify the cost of keeping up in the AI race.

Alphabet shares rose more than 3% in early trading on Thursday as the Google parent's earnings underscored a key message to investors: AI spending is climbing, but so are the returns.

Most leaders in the tech industry owe their wealth to founding equity stakes in their platforms, which Google’s Sundar Pichai does not have.

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Alphabet is growing fast in core and cloud segments, though rising AI capex is pressuring free cash flow and returns. Learn why GOOGL stock is a buy.

By Nikhil Sharma and Pranav Kashyap (Reuters) -Wall Street futures were mixed on Thursday as investors sifted through a flurry of earnings from heavyweights like Alphabet and Tesla, all while keeping a watchful eye on U.

The Dow feels pressure, weighed down by a steep fall for IBM, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq climb to another round of records and meme-stock mania resumes.

AI upstarts were supposed to lay siege to Google’s search-engine dominance. So far, the defense is winning, writes Asa Fitch, following second-quarter results from parent company Alphabet. A: Google’s

Alphabet Inc.'s $85B AI capex is backed by a $106B cloud backlog, showcasing tangible ROI. Click for my updated look at GOOGL stock post Q2 earnings.