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Alphabet Q1 profit jumps 81 per cent as revenue climbs to $109.9 billion
AI-led growth fuels strong gains across Search, Cloud and YouTube
CALIFORNIA: Alphabet Inc. kicked off 2026 with a strong first quarter, reporting an 81 per cent surge in net income to $62.58 billion, powered by robust growth across its core businesses and a sharp acceleration in cloud and AI-driven services.
Revenue rose 22 per cent year-on-year to $109.9 billion, or 19 per cent in constant currency, marking the company’s 11th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Operating income increased 30 per cent to $39.7 billion, while operating margin expanded to 36.1 per cent from 34 per cent a year earlier.
Diluted earnings per share climbed 82 per cent to $5.11, reflecting both operational strength and a significant boost from other income, which stood at $37.7 billion, largely driven by unrealised gains on equity investments.
Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai said, “2026 is off to a terrific start. Our AI investments and full stack approach are lighting up every part of the business.”
The company’s core Google Services segment generated $89.6 billion in revenue, up 16 per cent year-on-year. Growth was led by a 19 per cent increase in Search and other revenues to $60.4 billion, a 19 per cent rise in subscriptions, platforms and devices to $12.38 billion, and an 11 per cent growth in YouTube ads to $9.88 billion.
Cloud emerged as the standout performer. Google Cloud Platform revenues jumped 63 per cent to $20.03 billion, with operating income rising sharply to $6.6 billion from $2.18 billion a year earlier. The growth was driven by enterprise demand for AI infrastructure and solutions.
Pichai highlighted strong traction in AI, noting that the company’s Gemini models are now processing more than 16 billion tokens per minute, up 60 per cent from the previous quarter. Paid subscriptions across services reached 350 million, while Gemini Enterprise saw a 40 per cent quarter-on-quarter rise in paid monthly active users.
The company also reported that Waymo has crossed 500,000 fully autonomous rides per week, signalling growing momentum in its Other Bets segment, though the unit continued to post a loss of $2.1 billion.
Total costs and expenses increased to $70.2 billion, reflecting higher investments in research, AI infrastructure and talent. Headcount rose to 194,668 employees, up from 185,719 a year earlier.
Alphabet also strengthened its capital strategy, issuing $31.1 billion in senior unsecured notes during the quarter and announcing a 5 per cent increase in its dividend to $0.22 per share, payable in June 2026.
With AI at the centre of its growth engine and cloud demand surging, Alphabet appears to be scaling both innovation and profitability. As its core businesses remain resilient and newer bets gain traction, the company is positioning itself strongly for the next phase of digital and AI-led expansion.
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Indeed expands ChatGPT job search app to India and 50 plus countries
Conversational AI meets hiring as users get personalised roles via chat
NEW DELHI: Indeed has expanded its integration with ChatGPT to India and more than 50 countries, opening up a new, conversational way for users to search and explore job opportunities.
The move brings job discovery directly into chat, allowing users to describe roles in plain language instead of relying on filters. By typing prompts such as “remote marketing jobs” or “data analyst roles in Pune above Rs 8 lakh per annum”, users can instantly receive tailored listings drawn from Indeed’s platform.
To unlock personalised recommendations, users can connect their Indeed profiles, enabling the system to match roles based on their skills, work experience, education and preferences. The integration pulls from a vast dataset of over 645 million job seeker profiles and analyses more than 140 million hiring signals daily to refine results.
While job discovery happens within ChatGPT, applications are still completed on Indeed’s platform, where users can apply, schedule interviews and connect with employers.
Indeed vice president product Sol Garger said, “Career inspiration often strikes in unexpected places. Integrating Indeed’s hiring marketplace with ChatGPT helps job seekers turn those moments into action.”
The feature is available through the ChatGPT Apps directory, where users can connect their Indeed accounts and activate the service by typing “@Indeed” in a chat. The app also provides company insights, including overviews and employee ratings, helping candidates make more informed decisions.
Importantly, Indeed said it does not share sensitive personal data such as contact details or application history with OpenAI. Only basic profile information required for job matching is used.
The collaboration marks a broader shift in how people approach job hunting. Instead of scrolling through listings, users can now refine searches through conversation, adjusting criteria in real time and receiving increasingly relevant results.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape recruitment, the Indeed-ChatGPT tie-up points to a future where job searches are not just faster, but far more intuitive and personalised.
