Apple posts record $136B free cash flow while rivals burn $600B+ on AI capex
SumitGup · x · 2026-11-04
Apple just posted a record $136B in free cash flow for its latest fiscal year — roughly twice what Microsoft, Meta, Google and Amazon made combined over their last four quarters. Those four spent $600B+ on capex, much of it AI-related; Apple spent only $9B. Amazon burned $42B in cash while Apple returned $102B to shareholders and grew its pile. The Yahoo Finance chart shows FCF climbing from $46B in 2013 to $136B in 2026 — a snapshot of what not paying the AI arms-race tax looks like.
Related event: Apple's Free Cash Flow Hits Record $136 Billion as AI Spending Lags Rivals(2 posts)→
More from Venture
- Sarvam open-sources Prism, a 44ms decision model that skips text entirely — heyshrutimishra · 2026-11-04
- Shanghai field trip: China investors say the AI trade is over, question 2027 capex — SumitGup · 2026-11-04
- Enterprise AI spend hits $177B, up 5.4x; Anthropic and OpenAI take 86% of API spend — deedydas · 2026-11-04
- Chart: CoreWeave burned $2.80 per $1 of revenue at IPO vs Anthropic's $0.14 — NathanpmYoung · 2026-11-04
- Shopify CEO hails Tomo agent buying via Shop Pay over iMessage — Jackyhuang · 2026-11-04
- AI can build anything — an indie hacker on what builders' edge is in 2026 — kylegawley · 2026-11-04