What happened When Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) reported third-quarter results near the end of October, the report triggered a massive share-price surge. All told, shares of the online retailer and cloud computing service provider gained 15% last month, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. So what Amazon's third-quarter sales rose 34% year over year to $43.7 billion, including a $1.3 billion contribution from the acquisition of Whole Foods Market that closed at the end of August. GAAP earnings held steady at $0.52 per share, while adjusted earnings rose 18% to $0.73 per diluted share. Analysts would have settled for adjusted earnings of $0.03 per share on sales near $42.1 billion. With or without Whole Foods, Amazon crushed Wall Street's targets. Share prices surged nearly 14% higher the next day. Image source: Getty Images. Now what Amazon is firing on all cylinders and reinvesting the windfalls into a more robust distribution system. With more than 540,000 full-time and part-time staffers on its payroll, this is one of the largest employers in America and the world. The stock has gained a market-beating 48% so far in 2017, and Amazon's market cap now exceeds half a trillion dollars. Can anything or anybody stop this juggernaut? As an Amazon shareholder myself, I don't think so. 10 stocks we like better than AmazonWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Amazon wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of October 9, 2017John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Anders Bylund owns shares of Amazon. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Amazon. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.