Microsoft reports $38 billion in Q4 2020 revenue: Azure up 47%, Surface up 28%, and LinkedIn up 10%

Microsoft today reported earnings for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2020, including revenue up 13% to $38.0 billion, net income of $11.2 billion, and earnings per share of $1.46 (compared to revenue of $33.7 billion, net income of $13.2 billion, and earnings per share of $1.71 in Q4 2019). All three of the company’s operating groups saw year-over-year growth.

Microsoft is the first of the tech giants to report results for a full quarter during the coronavirus pandemic. In the previous quarter, Microsoft said that “COVID-19 had minimal net impact on the total company revenue.” In Q4 2020, “similar business trends to the previous quarter continued,” Microsoft said. Given its prominent role in the software and cloud industries, the company is worth watching. Unlike tech giants Google and Facebook, Microsoft does not generate the majority of its revenue from advertising and thus may weather the pandemic better. Those two, along with Apple and Amazon, report their respective quarterly earnings next week.