iWorld
Amazon posts stronger-than-expected Q2 result
MUMBAI: E-commerce giant Amazon posted much-stronger-than-expected second quarter earnings. Owing to growth in prime subscriptions, cloud computing and nascent advertising business, the company topped $2 billion in quarterly profit for the first time in its history. Analysts predict those two factors will continue to push the company forward in coming quarters.
Net income increased to $2.5 billion in the second quarter while last year in the same quarter the growth was $197 million. Net sales increased 39 per cent to $52.9 billion in the second quarter, compared with $38.0 billion in second quarter 2017. However, the sales growth was slightly below Wall Street’s estimates.
“A big contributor to the quarter and the last few quarters obviously has been strong growth in our highest profitability businesses and also advertising,” CFO Brian Olsavsky said. “We’ve seen a greater-than-expected efficiency in a lot of our spend in things like warehouses, data centres, marketing.”
This was the third consecutive quarter that Amazon has topped $1 billion in profit. Amazon’s cloud computing business, Amazon Web Services division, jumped to more than $6 billion in sales for the quarter. “Amazon Web Services is basically the silver bullet for them for future growth,” Synovus Trust senior portfolio manager Dan Morgan said as quoted by CNN.
“I would say that, in addition to the operating efficiencies, advertising is also starting to make an impact on gross profit, although advertising is smaller in the international segment than it’s in North America, it’s growing at a same rapid clip year-over-year,” Olasavsky said in an earnings call.
“We continue to invest. We’re investing in India obviously, and have seen good traction there. We just passed our Fifth Year Anniversary – celebrated our Fifth Year Anniversary, as the most visited site in India. So we think there’s a lot of great innovation that has continued to occur for Indian consumers and sellers, and that will continue,” he commented on Indian market.
Amazon is on an upward journey this year. Earlier this month, its market value topped $900 billion for the first time. Following the result, the stock jumped 3 per cent in afterhours trading.
eNews
Piyush Thakur steps down as Inshorts’ chief revenue officer
Former vice president and cro says exit marks a new chapter after close to a decade of building revenue and partnerships at Inshorts Group.
NOIDA: Piyush Thakur has stepped away from Inshorts Group after nearly 10 years with the company, marking the end of a long tenure that culminated in his role as chief revenue officer.
In a farewell note, Thakur said he was “turning a new page” after almost a decade at Inshorts, calling it one of the hardest professional decisions he has made. He added that his exit was not driven by uncertainty about the future, but by reflection on a long association with the company.
Thakur joined Inshorts in October 2016 as vice president and spent around seven years in the role before being elevated to chief revenue officer in April 2024, a position he held until April 2026.
He said his tenure was defined by “thousands of mornings, late nights, product debates and breakthrough moments”, as the company evolved into a large-scale digital news platform used by millions.
In his note, Thakur emphasised that Inshorts’ growth was a collective effort across teams, adding that engineers, designers, sales teams and customer support staff all contributed to building the platform. He said the company’s success was not the result of individuals but of “everyone who stayed, passed through, and left their mark”.
Before Inshorts, Thakur worked across several digital media and business development roles. At ESPN, he served as senior regional manager from October 2015 to October 2016, focusing on growth initiatives, strategic opportunities and video distribution.
At Times Internet, he worked for nearly three years, including as head of business development from April 2015 to September 2015 and chief manager from January 2013 to March 2015. His responsibilities included monetisation of mobile platforms, managing media and developer partnerships, and driving revenue across digital properties such as The Times of India and The Economic Times.
Earlier, he worked at Brandmovers as head of business development from June 2012 to June 2013, handling digital, mobile and social media marketing solutions, client development and strategic consulting. During this period, he also worked on advertising revenue, brand strategy and CRM-based solutions.
At Inshorts, Thakur’s role focused on revenue strategy, mobile and media partnerships, and growth initiatives across platforms. His profile highlights experience in mobile product management, digital business models, partner ecosystems and revenue expansion in high-growth environments.
