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Amazon.com Inc.: Q3 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 30 October 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 3 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net sales rose 13% to $180.2 billion: Net sales were $180.2 billion, up from $158.9 billion; excluding a $1.5 billion favorable foreign exchange effect, growth was 12%. Source
  • Operating income flat, $21.7 billion ex-charges: Operating income was $17.4 billion, the same as a year earlier. Excluding two special charges, operating income would have been $21.7 billion. Source
  • Fourth quarter net sales range: Net sales are expected between $206.0 billion and $213.0 billion, growth of 10% to 13% against fourth quarter 2024. Source
  • AWS sales grew 20%: AWS sales were $33.0 billion, up 20%; AWS operating income was $11.4 billion against $10.4 billion a year earlier. Source
  • North America operating income fell: North America sales rose 11% to $106.3 billion, but operating income was $4.8 billion against $5.7 billion. Excluding the legal settlement charge it would have been $7.3 billion. Source
  • Operating margin fell to 9.7%: Operating margin was 9.7% of worldwide net sales, against 11.4% in the second quarter and 11.0% a year earlier. Source
  • Free cash flow fell to $14.8 billion: Trailing free cash flow was $14.8 billion against $47.7 billion a year earlier, as purchases of property and equipment rose $50.9 billion. Source

“We continue to see strong momentum and growth across Amazon as AI drives meaningful improvements in every corner of our business,”

Andy Jassy, President and CEO, Amazon

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales SourceFourth quarter 2025between $206.0 billion and $213.0 billion, or to grow between 10% and 13%New
Foreign exchange effect on net sales SourceFourth quarter 2025favorable impact of approximately 190 basis pointsNew
Operating income SourceFourth quarter 2025between $21.0 billion and $26.0 billionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Fourth quarter 2025 guidance is given for the first time; the previous release gave third quarter 2025 guidance. Source
  • New: Zoox began offering its robotaxi service to riders in Las Vegas, and Washington D.C. was named as the eighth testing location. Source
  • New: Project Rainier, a cluster of nearly 500,000 Trainium2 chips, was launched to build and deploy Anthropic's Claude models. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net sales rose 13% to $180.2 billion: Net sales were $180.2 billion, up from $158.9 billion; excluding a $1.5 billion favorable foreign exchange effect, growth was 12%. Source
  • Operating income flat, $21.7 billion ex-charges: Operating income was $17.4 billion, the same as a year earlier. Excluding two special charges, operating income would have been $21.7 billion. Source
  • Net income up on Anthropic gains: Net income was $21.2 billion, or $1.95 per diluted share, against $1.43 a year earlier. Pre-tax gains of $9.5 billion on investments in Anthropic sit in non-operating income. Source

Fourth quarter 2025 guidance

  • Fourth quarter net sales range: Net sales are expected between $206.0 billion and $213.0 billion, growth of 10% to 13% against fourth quarter 2024. Source
  • Favorable currency effect built in: The fourth quarter net sales guidance includes an expected favorable effect of about 190 basis points from foreign exchange rates. Source
  • Fourth quarter operating income range: Operating income is expected between $21.0 billion and $26.0 billion, against $21.2 billion in fourth quarter 2024. Source

“AWS is growing at a pace we haven’t seen since 2022, re-accelerating to 20.2% YoY.”

Andy Jassy, President and CEO, Amazon

Segments and regions

  • AWS sales grew 20%: AWS sales were $33.0 billion, up 20%; AWS operating income was $11.4 billion against $10.4 billion a year earlier. Source
  • North America operating income fell: North America sales rose 11% to $106.3 billion, but operating income was $4.8 billion against $5.7 billion. Excluding the legal settlement charge it would have been $7.3 billion. Source
  • International sales up 14%: International sales rose 14% to $40.9 billion, or 10% excluding currency; operating income was $1.2 billion against $1.3 billion. Source

Products and customers

  • Ad partnerships with streaming platforms: Advertising services rose 24% to $17.7 billion. Advertisers can now buy ad space on Netflix, Spotify, and SiriusXM Media through Amazon Ads. Source
  • Third-party seller services grew 12%: Third-party seller services rose 12% to $42.5 billion; over 1.3 million independent sellers use genAI tools to create product listings. Source
  • Rufus reached 250 million customers: Rufus, the AI shopping assistant, had 250 million customers this year; shoppers using it are 60% more likely to complete a purchase. Source
  • Thursday Night Football audience rose: Thursday Night Football on Prime Video averaged 15.3 million viewers according to Nielsen, the best for the package on any network in a decade. Source

“In Stores, we continue to realize the benefits of innovating in our fulfillment network, and we’re on track to deliver to Prime members at the fastest speeds ever again this year,”

Andy Jassy, President and CEO, Amazon

Demand and the order book

  • Demand for AI infrastructure continues: Management said it continues to see demand in AI and core infrastructure, and added more than 3.8 gigawatts of power capacity in 12 months. Source
  • Trainium2 fully subscribed: Trainium2, the custom AI chip, is fully subscribed and a multi-billion-dollar business that grew 150% quarter over quarter. Source
  • New AWS agreements with large customers: New AWS agreements since the last announcement include Delta Air Lines, Volkswagen Group, Fox Corporation, ServiceNow, and others. Source

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Operating margin fell to 9.7%: Operating margin was 9.7% of worldwide net sales, against 11.4% in the second quarter and 11.0% a year earlier. Source
  • AWS operating margin fell: AWS operating margin was 34.6%, against 38.1% a year earlier and 32.9% in the second quarter. Source
  • Technology and infrastructure costs rose: Technology and infrastructure expense was $29.0 billion, up from $22.2 billion a year earlier. Source
  • Cost of sales and fulfillment higher: Cost of sales was $88.7 billion, up from $81.0 billion, and fulfillment was $27.7 billion, up from $24.7 billion. Source

Capital, cash and returns to shareholders

  • Free cash flow fell to $14.8 billion: Trailing free cash flow was $14.8 billion against $47.7 billion a year earlier, as purchases of property and equipment rose $50.9 billion. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose 16%: Trailing operating cash flow was $130.7 billion, up 16% from $112.7 billion for the twelve months ended September 30, 2024. Source
  • Cash and marketable securities held: At September 30, 2025, cash and cash equivalents were $66.9 billion and marketable securities were $27.3 billion. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Project Kuiper fleet grows: Project Kuiper fleet expanded to 150+ satellites, with 1+ Gbps downlink speeds demonstrated and new commercial agreements signed. Source
  • Alexa+ rollout continues: Alexa+ is rolling out; customers engage with it twice as much as the original Alexa and have longer conversations. Source
  • Delivery Service Partner investment planned: A planned $1.9 billion investment in the North America Delivery Service Partner program adds to $16.7 billion over seven years. Source

People and leadership

  • Hourly pay investment of $1 billion: $1 billion goes to U.S. employee pay and benefits, lifting average hourly wage to $30+ including elected benefits; wages also rose in Canada, Poland, and the UK. Source
  • Future Ready 2030 skills commitment: A $2.5 billion commitment to expand education and skills training for at least 50 million people, covering employees and the broader workforce. Source
  • Employee count rose 2%: Employees, full-time and part-time, numbered 1,578,000 at quarter end, up 2% from a year earlier. Source

Coming up, as management said on 30 October 2025

  • AWS New Zealand Region added: The company plans 10 more Availability Zones and three more Regions after adding the New Zealand Region. Source
  • Holiday seasonal hiring: Plans call for hundreds of thousands of seasonal jobs this holiday season, including 250,000 in the U.S. and 150,000 in India. Source
  • Fourth quarter guidance: Fourth quarter 2025 net sales and operating income ranges are the next financial guidance the company gave. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Inventory Source$41,494 million at September 30, 2025, against $34,214 million at December 31, 2024

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Planned role eliminations brought estimated severance costs of $1.8 billion, included in operating income. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said it is on track to deliver to Prime members at the fastest speeds ever again this year. Source
  • Not stated: Same-Day perishable grocery delivery reached 1,000+ cities and towns, with plans for 2,300+ locations by end of 2025. Source
  • Not stated: Rural communities with Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery access rose 60% in the past four months. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.