The GAFA display an iron health in full pandemic

Only Apple is in decline, with a turnover up only 1% over one year.

DENIS CHARLET / AFP

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3 min

Amazon, Alphabet (Google) and Facebook once again posted blazing profits in the past quarter, despite political pressure and the Covid-19 pandemic

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The pandemic has boosted the activity of

GAFA

.

As proof, Amazon, the leader in online commerce, saw its revenues explode by 37% in one year to reach $ 96 billion in the third quarter.

Ditto for the two digital advertising giants Facebook and Google.

The latter garnered a turnover of just over 46 billion dollars, an increase of 14%, for a profit of more than 11 billion over one year.

As for Facebook, which also owns Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp, the group has a net profit of nearly $ 8 billion despite the boycott this summer of more than 400 advertisers who disagree with the moderation of content on its social networks. .

Only Apple is in decline.

Year on year, its turnover increased only 1% due to a 20% drop in iPhone sales, and a collapse in sales in the Chinese market.

At the heart of critics

The good results of GAFA show that they are not very sensitive to criticism of policies.

But the tide could turn.

The four companies face significant challenges.

All are accused by the competition authorities of abuse of a dominant position in their respective markets, from social networks to online sales platforms.

The Department of Justice and 11 US states have just launched

legal proceedings against Google

, and investigations are underway against its neighbors.

The bosses of dominant social networks, Facebook, Twitter and Google (YouTube) on Wednesday faced U.S. senators angry at the power of platforms and their influence in public debate, days before the U.S. presidential election.

 ► Also to listen: 

Is the hegemony of GAFAM threatened?

The blows rained on the Californian leaders, accused of both “censorship” by the right and laxity by the left, in terms of moderation of content.

This topic has aroused passions in the context of current political tensions, from the Black Lives Matter movements to the many controversies over disinformation and Donald Trump's regularly inflammatory comments online.

But for now, the anger of elected officials and many NGOs has not translated into economic setbacks.

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