Google Parent Posts Surge in Profit, but Expenses Also Jump

Alphabet’s earnings got multibillion-dollar boost from stakes in startups including Uber

Google parent Alphabet Inc. posted surging profits as advertisers kept swarming to the search giant amid a global debate about internet privacy that threatens to affect its main revenue generator.

Alphabet’s earnings also got a multibillion-dollar boost from the company’s stakes in startups including Uber Technologies Inc. but were tempered by the costliest spending spree in its 14-year history as a public company.

Net...