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Amazon’s AI Bets and Cost-Cutting Measures Pay Off, Boosting Stock by 5%

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

November 1, 2024

Shares of Amazon surged over 5% in after-hours trading on Thursday after the company reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings. Amazon announced earnings per share of $1.43, alongside revenue reaching $158.9 billion, surpassing analyst projections of $1.14 per share and $157.2 billion in revenue, according to FactSet.

Key Financial Highlights

North American Sales: Amazon’s North American segment recorded a 9% year-over-year sales increase, totalling $95.5 billion.
AWS Growth: Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company’s cloud unit, posted $27.5 billion in revenue, marking a 19% rise compared to the same period last year.
Stock Movement: Although Amazon’s stock initially fell over 3% on Thursday before earnings were released, it rebounded significantly in after-hours trading. So far, Amazon shares are up almost 24% year-to-date.

Background on Amazon’s Strategy

Amazon’s recent efforts include major cost-cutting moves, guided by CEO Andy Jassy, to streamline operations since 2022. This restructuring has led to over 27,000 layoffs and the closure of initiatives such as Amazon’s telehealth and same-day delivery services. Despite these reductions, Amazon is doubling down on other key areas, like a $52 billion investment in nuclear energy to support data centers in Virginia, Mississippi, and Ohio. The company is also moving forward with **Project Kuiper**, aiming to build a satellite network of 3,236 units to broaden internet access worldwide—a venture projected to involve over $10 billion in launch costs across five years, according to analysts from Wedbush Securities.

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Amazon’s Market Reach

July’s Prime Day achieved “record-breaking sales,” while the introduction of Amazon’s AI-powered shopping assistant, **Rufus** was rolled out to U.S. customers last month. Notably, Amazon had slightly missed expectations in the previous quarter and cautioned that intense news cycles could distract customers—a factor cited by CFO Brian Olsavsky during the second-quarter earnings call. Despite these challenges, the company’s annual revenue is expected to remain strong.

Noteworthy Figures

Amazon’s market capitalization has reached $1.96 trillion, making it the fifth-largest company globally, trailing behind Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Google. Meanwhile, Jeff Bezos, who served as Amazon’s CEO until 2021, holds a net worth of $204.1 billion, much of which is tied to Amazon’s stock. Market fluctuations ahead of Amazon’s earnings report momentarily decreased Bezos’ wealth by around $6 billion. Bezos ranks as the second-richest American, after Elon Musk, on the Forbes 400 list.

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OpenAI Brings Unlimited Text Chats To Free ChatGPT Users

by News Editor

August 7, 2026

Unlimited Text Conversations Roll Out

OpenAI is removing limits on text-based conversations for all ChatGPT users, following the platform’s recent milestone of surpassing one billion weekly users.

The update introduces GPT-5.6 Luna as the default model for Free and Go users, replacing GPT-5.5.

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New “Think” Button For More Complex Questions

Alongside unlimited text chats, Free and Go users will gain access to a new “Think” button, allowing them to use additional reasoning power for more complex queries.

OpenAI noted that separate usage limits will continue to apply to file uploads, image generation, voice features and other multimodal tools.

Faster Responses For Paid Subscribers

The update also brings improvements for ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers. They will receive access to GPT-5.6 Sol, an upgraded model designed for everyday tasks such as web research, planning, writing, decision-making and answering questions. According to OpenAI, the model delivers shorter, more robust responses.

The company noted that this version is separate from the GPT-5.6 Sol model used in Codex and Work, which remains unchanged. Plus and Pro subscribers will also receive a new thinking slider, allowing them to adjust how much reasoning the model applies before generating an answer, depending on the complexity of the task.

OpenAI Reports Fewer Errors

According to OpenAI’s internal testing, GPT-5.6 Luna produces 62% fewer factual errors than GPT-5.5 Instant, while GPT-5.6 Sol reduces factual errors by 68%.

The updated GPT-5.6 Sol model is available to Plus and Pro users starting today. The remaining features for Free and Go users will roll out throughout the week, with unlimited text chats and the new Think button becoming available next week.