Google profits rocket as Google+ takes off
October 14, 2011
Revenues at Google jumped by a third to $9.7 billion in the three months to 30 September, as net profits grew more than a quarter to $2.7 billion.
The figures beat analyst expectations and allayed fears that Google’s recent hiring spree would take its toll on profits. The company took on 2,585 new staff in the three-month period, taking its total headcount to 31,353.
The results also highlighted Google’s rapid expansion into new areas outside web search, and the seriousness of its challenge to Facebook as a social networking platform.