Big Tech returns smallest share of cash to shareholders in 15 years, given AI spending
The five companies’ buybacks fell 83% as AI-driven capital spending doubled and pushed combined free cash flow to a $14 billion deficit, Reuters found.
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Big Tech Now Spends More on AI Than It Brings In From Operations
The post Big Tech Now Spends More on AI Than It Brings In From Operations appeared first on 24/7 Wall St.. Through the first nine months of 2026, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL), Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) together spent $556.9 billion on capital projects, mostly AI data centers. Their combined operating cash flow, which is the cash a business brings in from customers a…
The largest U.S. technology companies generated record amounts of cash in the first nine months of 2026, but shareholder cash returns were at their lowest in 15 years. The surge in artificial intelligence investments is eating up free cash, causing companies to drastically cut back on share buybacks.
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Big Tech returns smallest share of cash to shareholders in 15 years, given AI spending
Oct 30 : The biggest US technology companies generated record amounts of cash in the first nine months of 2026, yet returned the smallest share of it to shareholders in at least 15 years as surging artificial intelligence spending squeezed share buybacks.The retreat threatens a long-standing source of support
Big Tech Returns Just 9.3% of Cash to Shareholders as AI Spending Pushes Free Cash Flow Into Deficit
America’s largest technology companies generated a record $542.9 billion in operating cash flow during the first nine months of 2026, but returned a sharply smaller proportion of that money to shareholders as the cost of expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure absorbed an increasing share of their resources. Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Oracle returned just 9.3% […] The post Big Tech Returns Just 9.3% of Cash to Shareholders as…
Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle broke a record in cash generation during the first nine months of 2026, while the amount of cash distributed to shareholders fell to its lowest level in 15 years. The cash generated by the five largest US technology companies increased by 29 percent to a record $542.9 billion during that period. However, due to massive investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure, capital expenditures rose t…
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