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Oracle Vs. Microsoft: How The Wildcard AI Spender Plans to Disrupt

Oracle and Microsoft both reported quarters driven by AI cloud demand, but they fund expansion differently: Oracle is selling stock, taking on debt and relying on customer prepayments, while Microsoft draws on its deep cash pool. Oracle's revenue grew 29.6% to $19.34 billion, led by cloud infrastructure up 121% to $7.39 billion, while Microsoft's revenue rose 17.8% to $90.01 billion. Oracle's disruptor case rests on running its database inside rival clouds and on more than $30 billion of new AI contracts, mostly prepay or bring-your-own-hardware deals. Interest expense rose 55% to $1.4 billion and full-year capex is expected at $90 to $95 billion, with management giving no timeline for positive free cash flow. Over six months, Oracle stock fell 28.22% while Microsoft rose 26.16%.

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MarketUS stocks
SectorInformation Technology
IndustrySystems Software
Market cap$4.0T
Close on 10/21/2026532.95
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