Good results offer the tech giants a chance to change the subject

After a torrid period for Silicon Valley’s reputation, strong financial news may help improve investors’ mood

In an age where nearly every commercial activity has a significant technological dimension, is it even possible to refer to “tech” companies any more? This week’s set of financial results are a case in point. The markets will hear from Spotify, which sells advertising and music; Twitter, Google and Facebook, which deploy a broad spread of techniques to sell advertising – or in some cases our personal data; and Amazon, which sells, well, everything.

It is increasingly difficult to throw a blanket over a group of companies this diverse. They do share some common ground, though. All of them have grown rapidly to become household names. All have harnessed technology to disrupt traditional industries or create new ones. All would welcome the chance to talk about strong financial results this week, rather than ethical or regulatory matters. Facebook probably has most cause to want to shift the narrative.

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