Google parent Alphabet said on Tuesday its AI investments were "paying off" as it reported a 35 per cent surge in its cloud business and U.S. election-related spending lifted YouTube ad sales in the third quarter. Alphabet shares rose nearly 6 per cent in after-market trading on Tuesday. Shares of Amazon and Microsoft, the top cloud companies, were up about 1 per cent after hours. Alphabet topped third-quarter revenue and earnings expectations. Its mainstay Search business jumped 12 per cent