The headlines to look out for as Big Tech reports earnings

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Some of the biggest companies in the world want to let you know how they're doing.

(Want might be a strong word. It's more like, are required to by regulators, but that doesn't roll off the tongue.)

Either way, seven companies with market caps totalling more than $20 trillion are checking in.

I broke down what to keep an eye out for with each of them.

Today

Meta: Mark Zuckerberg still wants to spend big on AI. There's one problem. Meta, unlike some of its Big Tech peers, doesn't have a cloud business that's already benefiting from the AI boom. And its ads business wasn't enough to stop investors from getting spooked last earnings.

Recently, Meta has cut down its metaverse team and overhauled its review program. Still, investors want to see real returns, which could mean Meta's in for another intense year.

Microsoft: Pivoting a company with a market cap north of roughly $3.5 trillion isn't easy, but CEO Satya Nadella is giving it his best shot. Nadella tapped a new advisor to "rethink the new economics of AI" for Microsoft. The big boss views AI as both a massive threat and a huge opportunity that could define the tech giant's future.

Something else to watch: Any chatter about Microsoft's plans (and partnerships) in the wake of its restructured agreement with OpenAI.

Tesla: There's the traditional auto business to consider, but Elon Musk will likely focus more on the future. Specifically, progress and plans for Tesla's robotaxi business and robotic humanoid, Optimus. It's part of Tesla's ongoing rebrand from an EV maker to AI company.

Musk has relied on touting what's to come, as opposed to what's already here. But are investors still buying a dream that's yet to materialize?

Thursday

Apple: The odd one out in the AI race, Apple is opting to partner rather than build its own huge foundation models. The latest nod toward that strategy is the deal it struck with Google Gemini to power Siri's AI.

That's why iPhone sales will remain the key number to look out for, especially when it comes to its second-largest market: China.

February 4

Alphabet: Few companies have had a better run over the past three months than Alphabet. Gemini 3's launch has put Google at the front of the AI race and pushed it into the uber-elite $4 trillion market-cap club.

Next up? How Google will continue to reshape its crown jewel — Search — in the age of its AI Overviews.

February 5

Amazon: Just in: Amazon said it's cutting 16,000 employees. (Some employees got an advanced notice.) The latest reductions were announced by Amazon's senior vice president of people experience and technology, Beth Galetti, who described the move as part of efforts to cut back on bureaucracy inside the company.

Amazon was fresh off cutting roughly 14,000 jobs in the run-up to last earnings. The company still managed to get on Wall Street's good side in the immediate aftermath. We'll see if it can do it again.