Alibaba vs Amgen: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
Alibaba reported ~$142.3B of revenue in FY2026 and ~$14.4B of net income. Amgen reported $36.8B of revenue in FY2025 and $7.7B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
Alibaba
Revenue rose from ~$22 billion (RMB158.3 billion) in FY2017 to ~$142 billion (RMB1.024 trillion) in FY2026. Net income was ~$14.4 billion (RMB103.6 billion) in FY2026, down from ~$17.5 billion (RMB126.0 billion) in FY2025. Alibaba reports on a March 31 fiscal year and invests heavily in commerce, cloud and AI infrastructure.
Amgen
Amgen is a cash-generative business with high product gross margins. In fiscal 2025 it reported US$36.8 billion of total revenues, US$7.7 billion of GAAP net income, a 25.8% GAAP operating margin, US$8.1 billion of free cash flow and US$5.1 billion of dividends paid. Its results used to depend on a few large franchises, first Epogen and Aranesp, then Enbrel. As those matured Amgen bought revenue instead: Onyx in 2013, Otezla in 2019 and Horizon Therapeutics for US$27.8 billion in 2023. That last deal is also the main reason for the balance sheet it now carries, with US$54.6 billion of debt outstanding at December 31, 2025, debt leverage of about 3.2 times EBITDA and US$2.8 billion of net interest expense in fiscal 2025.
Revenue and profit by year
Alibaba
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | ~$142.3B | ~$14.4B | 10.1% | +2.7% | Source |
| FY2025 | ~$138.5B | ~$17.5B | 12.6% | +5.9% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$130.8B | ~$9.9B | 7.6% | +8.3% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$120.7B | ~$9.1B | 7.5% | +1.8% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$118.6B | ~$6.5B | 5.5% | +18.9% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$99.7B | ~$19.9B | 20.0% | +40.7% | Source |
| FY2020 | ~$70.8B | ~$19.5B | 27.5% | +35.3% | Source |
| FY2019 | ~$52.4B | ~$11.2B | 21.3% | +50.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | ~$34.8B | ~$8.5B | 24.5% | +58.1% | Source |
| FY2017 | ~$22B | ~$6.1B | 27.6% | — | Source |
Amgen
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $36.8B | $7.7B | 21.0% | +10.0% | Source |
| FY2024 | $33.4B | $4.1B | 12.2% | +18.6% | Source |
| FY2023 | $28.2B | $6.7B | 23.8% | +7.1% | Source |
| FY2022 | $26.3B | $6.6B | 24.9% | +1.3% | Source |
| FY2021 | $26B | $5.9B | 22.7% | +2.2% | Source |
| FY2020 | $25.4B | $7.3B | 28.6% | +8.8% | Source |
| FY2019 | $23.4B | $7.8B | 33.6% | -1.6% | Source |
| FY2018 | $23.7B | $8.4B | 35.3% | +3.9% | Source |
| FY2017 | $22.8B | $2B | 8.7% | -0.6% | Source |
| FY2016 | $23B | $7.7B | 33.6% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
Alibaba
- China commerce
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through China commerce.
- international digital commerce
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through international digital commerce.
- cloud intelligence
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through cloud intelligence.
- logistics services
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through logistics services.
- local services and digital media
Not formally reported
Alibaba earns revenue through local services and digital media.
Amgen
- U.S. product sales
~70% of total revenues
United States product sales were US$25.66 billion in fiscal 2025, 73% of the US$35.15 billion product sales total and about 70% of total revenues. The largest domestic contributors were Prolia (US$2.98 billion), Enbrel (US$2.20 billion), Otezla (US$1.84 billion), Tepezza (US$1.76 billion), Repatha (US$1.66 billion), Evenity (US$1.60 billion) and Tezspire (US$1.48 billion). Access depends on formulary placement with the large pharmacy benefit managers and on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
- International product sales
~26% of total revenues
Product sales outside the United States were US$9.49 billion in fiscal 2025, 27% of product sales. The largest were Repatha (US$1.35 billion), Aranesp (US$973 million), XGEVA (US$729 million), Vectibix (US$571 million) and Amgevita (US$549 million). Prices are generally lower than in the United States because of government reference pricing and national formulary negotiation.
- Biosimilars
~8% of total revenues
Biosimilars sit inside product sales and generated about US$3.0 billion in fiscal 2025: Mvasi (bevacizumab) US$771 million, Pavblu (aflibercept) US$700 million, Amjevita and Amgevita (adalimumab) US$597 million, Wezlana and Wezenla (ustekinumab) US$273 million, and US$683 million across the smaller biosimilars reported within other products. Amjevita sales fell 22% year over year, so segment growth now comes from the newer launches.
- Rare disease portfolio acquired with Horizon
~13% of total revenues
Also inside product sales, the medicines acquired with Horizon Therapeutics produced about US$4.6 billion in fiscal 2025: Tepezza US$1.90 billion, Krystexxa US$1.34 billion, Uplizna US$655 million and the ultra-rare products US$719 million. Uplizna grew 73% after approvals in IgG4-related disease and generalized myasthenia gravis, while the ultra-rare group fell 5% as Ravicti met generic competition.
- Other revenues
~4% of total revenues
Other revenues, mainly royalties, license income and corporate partner payments, were US$1.60 billion in fiscal 2025, the difference between US$36.75 billion of total revenues and US$35.15 billion of product sales. The line carries high margins but is not a growth priority.
Business model and strategy
Alibaba
How it makes money
Alibaba earns revenue from customer-management services and commissions on its China commerce marketplaces, direct sales and logistics services in international commerce, cloud products and services, Cainiao logistics, local services, and digital media. Taobao and Tmall primarily connect merchants with consumers rather than operating only as first-party retailers.
Growth strategy
Facing intense regulatory scrutiny and fierce domestic competition, Alibaba's growth strategy recently underwent a large structural overhaul. They announced a plan to split the empire into six separate, independent business groups (like Cloud, E-commerce, and Logistics), allowing each to operate faster and potentially seek their own IPOs.
Competitive advantage
Alibaba's primary moat was its large network effect within China; virtually every merchant had to be on Taobao because that's where all the consumers were, and vice versa. their proprietary logistics network (Cainiao) and deep integration with Alipay created a frictionless ecosystem for Chinese consumers.
Amgen
How it makes money
Amgen operates a high-risk, high-reward biopharmaceutical business model. It spends heavily on research to discover and engineer new biologic drugs: US$7.3 billion in fiscal 2025, or 20.7% of product sales. Once a drug is approved by the FDA, Amgen secures a patent, granting them a temporary monopoly to sell the drug at a premium price.
Growth strategy
Amgen's growth plan has two parts: scale the newer medicines and buy what the pipeline does not supply. Recent launches and acquired products drove the 10% revenue growth in fiscal 2025, with Tezspire up 52% to US$1.48 billion, Repatha up 36% to US$3.02 billion, Evenity up 34% to US$2.10 billion, Uplizna up 73% to US$655 million and Imdelltra reaching US$627 million in its second year.
Competitive advantage
Amgen's main competitive advantage is experience making complex biologics at commercial scale, which it has done continuously since Epogen launched in 1989.
Questions about Alibaba vs Amgen
Which company has higher revenue — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Amgen Inc.?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited reported ~$142.3B (FY2026), while Amgen Inc. reported $36.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited is the larger business, with Amgen Inc. reporting a smaller revenue base. Note: these are from different fiscal years and are not a direct like-for-like comparison.
What is the market cap of Alibaba Group Holding Limited vs Amgen Inc.?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited's market capitalisation stands at $266.6B, while Amgen Inc.'s is $228.2B. Alibaba Group Holding Limited carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to Amgen Inc..
Which is more financially efficient — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Amgen Inc.?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited generates $1.08M / employee in revenue per employee, while Amgen Inc. generates $1.17M / employee. Amgen Inc. shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Amgen Inc. make money?
Alibaba Group Holding Limited and Amgen Inc. generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. Alibaba Group Holding Limited: Alibaba earns revenue from customer-management services and commissions on its China commerce marketplaces, direct sales and logistics services in international commerce, cloud products and services, Cainiao logistics, local services, and digital media. Amgen Inc.: Amgen operates a high-risk, high-reward biopharmaceutical business model.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — Alibaba Group Holding Limited or Amgen Inc.?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, Alibaba Group Holding Limited trades at 1.9x P/S and Amgen Inc. at 6.2x P/S. Amgen Inc. commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to Alibaba Group Holding Limited. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is Alibaba Group Holding Limited bigger than Amgen Inc.?
By last reported revenue, Alibaba Group Holding Limited (~$142.3B (FY2026)) is the larger company compared to Amgen Inc. ($36.8B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the Alibaba vs Amgen overview