Google’s persistent ad slump weighs on Alphabet’s 1Q results

Google’s advertising malaise persisted during the first quarter while the internet company also grapples with advancements in artificial intelligence technology that threaten to undercut its dominant search engine. An unprecedented downturn in Google’s digital ad revenue – the company’s main moneymaker for more than 20 years – came into sharper focus Tuesday with the release of the January-March results for owner Alphabet Inc. Although Alphabet’s total revenue for the period rose from a year earlier, Google’s first-quarter ad sales of $54.5 billion marked a slight decrease from a year ago.

tips

slump：n. 经济萧条；v. 骤降；暴跌

malaise：难以描述的问题；莫名的不适

undercut：削弱

unprecedented：空前的（precedent 在前的，先例的）

slight：怠慢；轻视