Microsoft Shares Jump as Azure Revenue Tops $100 Billion

Shares of Microsoft Corp. rose approximately 9% to 10% in pre-market trading on July 30, 2026, following reports of record quarterly profits and a strong fiscal year. The company's growth was driven by high demand for AI tools and its Azure cloud business, which surpassed $100 billion in annual revenue for the first time. Microsoft forecast continued momentum for the July-September quarter, expecting Azure revenue to grow by roughly 45% in constant currency.

In contrast, Meta Platforms saw its shares drop about 9% after reporting a 14% decline in second-quarter profit to $15.85 billion. Although Meta's revenue increased 28% to $60.8 billion, the bottom line was impacted by $2.4 billion in legal charges and $1.18 billion in severance costs stemming from a workforce reduction in May.

Market reactions highlighted a disparity in how the two technology giants report AI progress. Investors favored Microsoft's transparent cloud growth metrics over Meta's lack of a clear, separate revenue line for its AI investments.