TLDRocket
29 October 2026
AI’s central storyline today is the same one investors keep testing in the numbers: hyperscalers are spending to expand capacity faster than demand for AI services can fill it, and the bills are showing up before the margins do. Microsoft delivered strong Azure growth while pushing capex expectations to about $170 billion for calendar-year 2026, including more than $50 billion in the current quarter. The company also posted quarterly profit of over $36.6 billion and sweetened the deal for cost discipline, offering voluntary buyouts to around 60,000 workers after earlier layoffs of more than a quarter of its workforce. The message is clear: scale the AI backend now, worry about profitability later.
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