'Alexa was very busy': Amazon reports record profits and strong holiday season

Amazon, the world's largest company by market capitalisation, reported improved earnings and profits late on Thursday. The company reported its third record profit in a row, capitalizing on a strong holiday retail season and its growing, high-margin businesses such as cloud computing and advertising. The Seattle-based company reported a profit of $3.03bn, or $6.04 a share, up from $1.86bn, or $3.75 a share, on the same quarter a year earlier. Revenue grew 20% to $72.38bn. Amazon's voice-controlled virtual assistant Alexa, and the devices which play it, helped the performance.