#AI

OpenAI has hired Albert Lee, a former Google executive, to lead its corporate development. Lee, who previously managed strategic growth at Google Cloud and DeepMind, brings extensive experience in high-profile acquisitions. This move signals OpenAI’s aggressive strategy to secure market dominance in the competitive AI landscape through strategic investments and M&A, following a period of rapid growth and several recent acquisitions of AI startups.

KeyBanc downgraded ServiceNow to “underweight,” citing the “AI is eating software” narrative, which suggests AI may reduce demand for per-seat SaaS licenses. Analyst Jackson Ader warned of potential disruption to ServiceNow’s IT workflow business by 2026. Despite a significant year-to-date stock drop, Jim Cramer remains optimistic, crediting CEO Bill McDermott’s leadership. The market is watching how ServiceNow adapts its AI strategy and pricing to evolving business models.

Walmart’s Nasdaq move signifies a major tech transformation, leveraging purpose-built AI and proprietary platforms like Element. The retail giant is deploying specialized AI agents for tasks like fashion production, customer support, and supply chain optimization, demonstrating measurable ROI in data operations, efficiency, and customer experience. While addressing workforce shifts through reskilling, Walmart seeks tech company valuations, though market reception remains divided on the extent of its genuine tech-centricity versus traditional retail operations.

AIxCrypto Holdings (Nasdaq: AIXC) released its weekly update under the dual-flywheel strategy, reporting progress in AI and crypto, governance, regulatory readiness, and product expansion. The company appointed Andrew Grossman as Head of Legal to strengthen compliance and governance amid evolving policy. Rebranding from Qualigen positions AIxCrypto as the gateway between Web2 and Web3, anchored by AI. The two interlocking flywheels—crypto powered by AI automation and tokenized assets, and AI-driven product development and enterprise software—seek diversified, defensible growth amid regulatory and market uncertainties.

words.U.S. AI‑related stocks fell on Friday, extending a three‑day decline. Oracle dropped over 2% after Thursday’s 11% plunge from revenue that missed forecasts, pulling down peers like Micron and CoreWeave. Despite strong demand for AI infrastructure, Oracle’s $16.06 billion revenue fell short of expectations, raising concerns about its debt‑financed AI‑cloud expansion and the tight GPU ecosystem. Morningstar cut Oracle’s fair‑value target to $286 but still sees the shares as undervalued. Market focus now shifts to next week’s earnings for signs of sustainable AI growth.

US equities closed at record levels Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Dow hitting fresh highs after the Fed’s quarter‑point rate cut, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.26% as AI‑linked stocks fell—Oracle down 11% on a revenue miss, dragging Nvidia and Micron, and Broadcom sliding despite earnings beat. Disney will spend $1 billion on OpenAI’s video model, and SpaceX aims for a 2026 IPO. Meanwhile, global fund managers eye India’s $3.3 trillion market, with BlackRock relaunching joint funds.

Broadcom posted a solid fiscal Q4, with revenue up 28% to $18.02 billion and adjusted EPS rising 37% to $1.95, both beating forecasts. AI‑related sales surged, highlighted by Anthropic’s $10 billion and $11 billion Ironwood XPU orders and a $1 billion deal with a new XPU client. Margins expanded, and Q1 guidance topped expectations, prompting a “Hold” rating and a price‑target lift to $425. However, investors worried about AI customers potentially developing in‑house chips, causing a 4.5% after‑hours drop despite the earnings beat.

.Morning Squawk highlights: The Fed delivered a 25‑bp rate cut, signaling a hawkish stance and limited future cuts, sparking a stock rally. In tech, Oracle missed Q2 revenue while Cisco hit a record high, underscoring a split between legacy software firms and AI‑focused networking players. President Trump seized a Venezuelan‑linked oil tanker, pushing Brent crude higher. Rivian showcased AI‑driven autonomy to boost margins amid ongoing losses. Coca‑Cola named Henrique Braun CEO for 2026, aiming to drive digital and premium growth. Wealth advisors increasingly use encrypted messaging for fast, private deal coordination.

Big‑tech firms are pouring over $50 billion into India’s cloud and AI infrastructure, with Microsoft committing $17.5 billion and Amazon more than $35 billion, while Intel plans local chip production. Leveraging abundant land, low power costs, a skilled talent pool and a massive digital user base, India is becoming a hub for AI‑driven applications rather than core model development. Analysts see the country’s data‑center market as a “sweet spot” for global providers, offering growth opportunities amid rising domestic demand and regulatory pressures for local data storage.

.Microsoft announced a $17.5 billion, four‑year investment in India’s cloud and AI infrastructure, the largest U.S. tech commitment in Asia. The funds will expand hyperscale data centers, embed AI services in national platforms, and train 20 million Indians in AI by 2030. Alongside Google’s $15 billion and AWS’s $8 billion pledges, the move aims to give Azure a first‑mover advantage and support India’s sovereign digital ecosystem.