Cathie Wood Snaps Up $892K in Amazon Ahead of Earnings — 'Age of Great Acceleration'

Cathie Wood purchased approximately $892,000 worth of Amazon shares one week before its Q1 earnings release. The move is backed by AWS's growing role as an AI hub and Amazon's expanded investment in Anthropic, as AMZN has surged over 24% in the past month.

Justin·April 24, 2026·3 min read

AI Summary

Cathie Wood acquired 3,492 shares of Amazon (AMZN) for approximately $892,000 through ARKX, one week before the company's Q1 earnings release on April 29. The move is underpinned by AWS posting its strongest growth rate in 13 quarters and Amazon's cumulative $13 billion investment in Anthropic. Wood remains bullish on AI, citing a 'Great Acceleration' thesis, though ARKK continues to lag the S&P 500 on a year-to-date basis.

3,492 shares acquired via ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF — AWS growth and expanded Anthropic stake underpin the move

ARK Investment Management's Cathie Wood purchased 3,492 shares of Amazon (AMZN) for approximately $892,000 on April 21 (local time). The acquisition was made through the ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX), one week ahead of Amazon's Q1 earnings release scheduled for April 29. AMZN has surged more than 24% over the past month.

AWS Posts Strongest Growth Rate in 13 Quarters

AWS remains Amazon's most powerful growth engine. In Q4 2025, AWS revenue climbed 24% year-over-year to $35.6 billion — its highest growth rate in 13 quarters. Operating income reached $12.5 billion, accounting for roughly half of Amazon's total operating profit.

Amazon's partnership with Anthropic has also deepened recently. Earlier this month, Amazon committed an additional $5 billion to Anthropic, bringing its cumulative investment to $13 billion. In return, Anthropic pledged to spend more than $100 billion on AWS over the next decade. Amazon plans to deploy $200 billion in capital expenditures this year alone, with the bulk directed toward AI infrastructure.

'Not a Recession — This Is the Great Acceleration'

Wood's AMZN purchase aligns with her broader macroeconomic optimism. In a Bloomberg podcast in March, she argued that the global economy is heading not toward a great depression, but toward a 'Great Acceleration.'

"AI training costs are falling 75% per year and inference costs are dropping up to 98%, making technology a deflationary force across every industry."
Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Investment Management

Wood's other notable trades this week: bought 24,614 shares of Kratos Defense (KTOS), bought 4,625 shares of DoorDash (DASH), and sold 81,422 shares of Iridium Communications (IRDM).

ARKK Trails S&P 500 Year-to-Date

ARKK YTD: +1.84% vs. S&P 500: +4.27%
5-year annualized return: -8.52% vs. S&P 500: +12.73%
Net outflows from ARKK over the past 12 months: approx. $1.12 billion

ARK's flagship fund, the ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK), has gained just 1.84% year-to-date, underperforming the S&P 500. While the fund delivered explosive returns during bull markets — surging 153% in 2020 — it is characterized by high volatility.