Microsoft’s advertising business posted lackluster growth in the first quarter of 2023.
Advertising and search revenue increased 3.4% to just over $3 billion during the period, including traffic acquisition costs that Microsoft pays to publishers. The company attributed the increase to higher search volume and its acquisition of Xandr, an ad buying platform it acquired from AT&T.
LinkedIn revenue was up 7.6%. Microsoft attributed the increase to its Talent Solutions products. The company also said the number of sessions logged on LinkedIn grew 15%.
