Alphabet – More Than Just Search
A few months ago, many people predicted Google would become the new Kodak. Articles were written with the most terrifying headlines, calling for the end of Google’s moat and the takeover of AI. ChatGPT and friends were supposed to conquer the search business and take market share from Google.
What has happened since then? Exactly the opposite. The search business has expanded. These transitions always take time – if, and that’s a big if, they take place at all. It was obvious six months ago, and it’s obvious now, that AI won’t dominate search in the coming years – at least not the competition’s models.
Google is advancing rapidly in building new tools and models. AI integration is a key strategy in retaining customers, by simplifying and simultaneously enhancing search outputs. The tech giant is doing everything right at the moment to keep its position. We’ll see whether its monopoly will be broken up by a judge soon, though a forced sale of Chrome still seems rather unlikely.
So far, I’ve only touched on the core business, but let’s not forget that Google is way more than just search. It’s YouTube, Android, Cloud, Waymo, and much more. All of these segments are extremely interesting.
YouTube is more than just the largest streaming platform – it’s a media behemoth. Almost half of the internet’s population uses YouTube monthly. In the U.S., the platform accounts for roughly 12% of all TV consumption.
Google Cloud is expanding rapidly and closing in on its older brothers, AWS and Azure. Waymo is a bet on the future of autonomous driving. It’s leading in this industry, and the partnership with Uber seems to bear fruit. Tesla can only dream of a comparable rollout.
I will be watching Google closely and consider an entry around $160–$170 levels, which I guess is likely if we see a broader tariff-related drawdown.
Amazon – The Titan with Potential
Amazon has always been thought of as the e-commerce behemoth, but its real crown jewel is AWS. This segment is responsible for Amazon’s profits, and cloud computing is one of the fastest-growing and most important industries in a modern, AI- and internet-dominated world. AWS is ahead of its notable competitors, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.
A very interesting development is Amazon’s announcement to start delivering food and groceries, similar to Uber and DoorDash. This news didn’t just cause the stocks of established companies in that field to drop – it also represents a great opportunity for Amazon to leverage its immense network and take a bite out of the competition.
In my opinion, Amazon is a great company with potential, assuming execution works well and high-margin segments like AWS continue their growth trajectory. I will add around $190–$200 levels.
