WSJ Tech News Briefing — TNB Tech Minute: Amazon Reports 13% Jump in Revenue

Date: October 30, 2025
Host: Julie Chang
Podcast: Wall Street Journal Tech News Briefing

Episode Overview

This short Tech Minute episode centers on major tech industry earnings, highlighting Amazon’s impressive revenue and profit growth in Q3 2025, as well as record financial results for Apple. The episode also touches on the latest carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Disney, providing a snapshot of the industry’s key players and their current challenges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Amazon’s Q3 2025 Earnings

• Strong Financial Performance
  • Amazon reported a net profit increase of 39% for Q3, reaching $21.2 billion. (01:00)
  • Revenue was propelled by robust retail sales and continued expansion of its cloud and AI businesses.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS) Growth
  • AWS revenue surged by an impressive 20% for the quarter, “growing at its fastest rate since 2022.” (01:15)
  • The company’s stock rose in after-hours trading as a result.

Memorable Quote:
“Amazon has reported rising revenue and profit for the third quarter, propelled by strong retail sales and ongoing growth in its cloud computing and artificial intelligence business.”
— Julie Chang (00:32)

2. Apple Achieves Record September Quarter

• Record Revenue and iPhone 17 Demand
  • Apple posted a record September quarter, with overall sales driven by “strong demand for the new iPhone 17.” (01:30)
• Milestone in Services
  • The company’s services business surpassed $100 billion in annual revenue—a new milestone.
  • Total quarterly revenue reached $102.5 billion, up 8% from the previous year, slightly exceeding Wall Street expectations.

3. YouTube TV’s Carriage Dispute with Disney

• Potential Channel Blackout
  • YouTube TV, with its “growing base of about 10 million subscribers” (01:58), faces the threat of losing Disney-owned channels (ABC, ESPN, FX) due to a contract expiration at midnight.
• Dispute Over Fees
  • The crux of the standoff lies in Disney’s demand for increased payments for its channels.
• Industry Context
  • Disney is the latest major media owner to negotiate hard with YouTube TV; prior disputes involved Comcast’s NBCUniversal, Fox, and Televisa Univision.

Memorable Quote:
“Disney…could be on the verge of having its networks go dark on YouTube TV. The two have been negotiating over fees. Disney wants YouTube TV to pay for ESPN and other channels.”
— Julie Chang (01:47)

4. Industry Context: Quantum Computing and AI

• IBM on Quantum’s Promise
  • Introduction features Katie Pizzolato, IBM’s Vice President for Quantum Platform, expressing excitement for quantum’s unknown applications, particularly in fields like “drug development, materials discovery, optimization.” (00:06)
• AI in Business
  • The episode closes with an IBM spot emphasizing the use of AI to improve business operations.

Memorable Quote:
“It's very exciting to think about where we all sat at the dawn of classical computation…quantum computers are poised to accelerate time and cost efficiencies in really important fields like drug development, materials discovery, optimization, things that impact all industries.”
— Katie Pizzolato (00:06)

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• “Amazon has reported rising revenue and profit for the third quarter, propelled by strong retail sales and ongoing growth in its cloud computing and artificial intelligence business.”
  — Julie Chang (00:32)

• “Amazon Web Services is growing at its fastest rate since 2022, with revenue from AWS climbing 20% for the quarter.”
  — Julie Chang (01:15)

• “Apple…services business hit a milestone. It surpassed $100 billion in revenue for the fiscal year that ended in September.”
  — Julie Chang (01:35)

• “Disney…could be on the verge of having its networks go dark on YouTube TV. The two have been negotiating over fees.”
  — Julie Chang (01:47)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Quantum Computing and AI Introduction: 00:00–00:32
• Amazon Earnings: 00:32–01:22
• Apple Results: 01:23–01:40
• YouTube TV & Disney Showdown: 01:41–02:11
• (Promotional Segment - IBM AI): 02:26

Conclusion & Takeaways

This Tech Minute delivers a high-speed, insight-packed rundown of the day’s biggest tech finance headlines—spotlighting surging cloud and AI-driven profits at Amazon, a historic revenue win for Apple’s services, and the ongoing tension between new media platforms (YouTube TV) and legacy content owners (Disney). Quantum computing and AI are positioned as the next big frontiers, underscoring how foundational technology continues to reshape both the market and the products we use.

Listeners are encouraged to check out the full-length Friday Tech News Briefing for deeper analysis on these evolving tech stories.