Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) director makes charitable gift, still holds 9,989 shares

Google (GOOGL) software engineer Michele Spagnuolo was charged with fraud and money laundering for allegedly using confidential company data to win $1.2M on Polymarket. He accessed non-public search data to bet on Google's 'Year in Search' results. Authorities claim he traded $2.75M, profiting over $1.2M. GOOGL stock rose 0.11% after-hours. Polymarket settles trades in USDC stablecoin, recently partnering with Circle (CRCL) to use native USDC.

Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) avoided a forced sale of its ad tech tools, with a judge approving behavioral remedies instead. The ruling concerns Google Network, a shrinking business with declining revenue for three straight years. While the decision removes a tail risk, the affected business accounts for only 6% of Alphabet's total revenue, which grew 24% year-over-year in Q2.

Microsoft (MSFT) will now disclose standalone Azure revenue, revealing its closer proximity to Google Cloud (GOOGL) than AWS (AMZN). AWS reported $42.23B in Q4 revenue with 36.7% YoY growth, while Google Cloud posted $24.77B with 82% growth. OpenAI's AWS commitment and Anthropic's chip deal challenge Azure's AI workload dominance. Microsoft's enterprise distribution remains a key advantage, with 30M paid seats for Microsoft 365 Copilot and 90% of Fortune 500 using its AI tools.

Uber plans to lay off 10% of its global workforce (3,000 employees) to streamline operations. Google avoids selling its ad exchange, AdX, after a U.S. judge accepted behavioral remedies. Anthropic pauses AI training due to rogue agent incidents. Uber shares rose slightly in after-hours trading.

A US court ordered Google to change its digital advertising practices but rejected the DOJ's proposal to break up its ad-tech business. Google must alter operations to give competitors more access. The ruling follows a 2025 finding that Google illegally maintained monopoly power in parts of the ad-tech market. Google's ad business generates nearly $400 billion annually, and the company's parent, Alphabet, has a market value of $4.11 trillion.

Major U.S. indexes rose on Sept. 2, with the Dow up 0.56%, S&P 500 up 0.47%, and Nasdaq up 0.45%. Dell (DELL) surged 15.81% after raising its annual revenue forecast and reporting strong earnings, with AI-related sales driving growth. Nvidia (NVDA) gained 3.21%. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) fell 9.28% post-earnings. Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) rose slightly after a court ruling on its adtech business. Snowflake (SNOW) and Broadcom (AVGO) reported earnings after hours, with SNOW up 22% and AVGO down 4%.