Alphabet expects 'slight headwind' to ads business this year, executives say

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai meets with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at Google for Startups in Warsaw, Poland, on February 13, 2025. President Donald Trump's trade policies will have a negative impact on Google parent Alphabet 's core advertising business, an executive from the company said Thursday. Alphabet, which reported stronger-than-expected revenue in its first quarter of the year, faces an online ads market that's on edge due to concerns about how Trump's tariffs will affect the economy and business spending. While the word "tariff" was never mentioned on Alphabet's investor call Thursday, "macro" was mentioned several times as investors peppered company executives with questions about forward looking economic impacts amid new trade policies. Several strategists increased their odds of a recession after Trump on April 2 announced tariffs for imports of goods into the U.S. from dozens of countries. On April 9, Trump lowered tariffs on many countries to 10% for t ... Read full article.