TNB Tech Minute: Meta, Microsoft Post Strong Revenue Growth
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It's how our people make the difference every day. KPMG, make the difference. Learn more at www.kpmg.us slash insights. Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Wednesday, April 30th. I'm Victoria Craig for The Wall Street Journal. After the closing bell on Wall Street, Microsoft said it registered 13% revenue growth last quarter, with all of its main business units beating expectations.

Profit, meanwhile, rose nearly 18 percent from a year earlier. The results sent shares solidly higher in after-hours trading. CEO Satya Nadella said Microsoft's results were boosted by continued demand for AI and cloud computing. Check out tomorrow's Tech News Briefing podcast, where we'll take a deeper look at Microsoft's push to grow its cloud business in Europe and the geopolitical tensions that could threaten it.

Also on the earnings front, Meta notched a 16 percent jump in sales last quarter, beating Wall Street forecasts. It said it expects revenue growth would remain steady in the current quarter, quashing worries that the Trump administration's latest tariffs will dent the company's global ad business. Meta relies on that advertising revenue to fund a plan for up to $65 billion in AI ambitions as it tries to take on giants in the space like OpenAI's ChatGPT.

Earlier today, Meta rolled out a standalone app for its Meta AI chatbot, which it hopes will clock one billion users by the end of the year. And finally, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba rolled out a rapid delivery option to its shopping platform today. Customers can buy a range of things like food, apparel and footwear under a new instant commerce tab and get their goods in less than an hour. A person familiar with the matter told the journal the option is expected to roll out across China next week.

The feature is seen as Alibaba's latest attempt to set up its super-fast delivery options as it faces stiff competition from rivals like JD.com. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Thursday's Tech News Briefing podcast. Viking, committed to exploring the world in comfort. Journey through the heart of Europe on an elegant Viking longship with thoughtful service, cultural enrichment, and all-inclusive fares. Discover more at viking.com.