Amazon Cloud Growth Accelerates to Three-Year Peak Following Hours-Long Global Outage

Amazon has reported exceptional growth in its cloud computing division, with third-quarter revenue reaching $33 billion and representing a 20% year-over-year increase that marks the fastest expansion rate the business has experienced since 2022. The performance exceeded Wall Street’s expectations of $32.42 billion and helped drive total company revenue to $180.17 billion, surpassing analyst predictions of $177.82 billion. With earnings per share of $1.95 beating forecasts of $1.58, the strong results prompted an immediate 9% surge in the company’s stock during extended trading hours.
CEO Andy Jassy characterized the cloud division’s performance as a return to growth rates not witnessed in recent years, highlighting the business’s critical importance to the company’s overall strategic direction. The quarterly presentation featured significant discussion of artificial intelligence initiatives, with executives showcasing new AI capabilities including intelligent shopping assistants and enhanced tools for enterprise customers deploying AI applications. The company is also advancing its autonomous vehicle ambitions through plans to test robotaxi services in Washington DC before the end of the year, representing a major expansion of its Zoox robotics program.
The robust financial results stand in notable contrast to a major service disruption that occurred earlier this month, when a technical glitch in the cloud computing infrastructure caused widespread outages affecting millions of users globally for multiple hours. The failure brought down diverse systems ranging from consumer smart appliances to essential hospital electronic medical records, providing a stark demonstration of how deeply Amazon’s services have become integrated into everyday digital infrastructure. The incident highlighted both the company’s dominant market position and the significant risks associated with such concentration of critical internet services under a single provider.
Amazon faces intensifying competition in the cloud computing sector from rivals who have reported strong growth and captured market share through aggressive positioning around artificial intelligence opportunities. Microsoft’s Azure platform has been particularly effective, benefiting from a high-profile collaboration with a leading AI research organization that has attracted customers and driven revenue gains contributing to superior stock performance. Google Cloud has similarly posted solid growth, escalating competitive dynamics in a market that remains essential for the future of enterprise computing and digital transformation across industries.
The company’s confirmation of plans to eliminate 14,000 corporate positions has sparked significant debate, particularly given the simultaneous reporting of record revenues and strong profitability. Leadership has characterized the workforce reduction as a cultural transformation aimed at fostering startup-style agility and innovation rather than a financially motivated cost reduction or technology-driven automation. However, this explanation conflicts with earlier statements from executives suggesting that artificial intelligence advancements would reduce workforce requirements in various roles, and the timing alongside massive investments in AI has fueled skepticism about the true factors driving the employment decisions and raised questions about transparency in the company’s public communications.