Nice Stock’s Little Frolic

Now, I reckon a fella might be excused for thinkin’ Wall Street’s lost its marbles entirely. Just yesterday, they were whisperin’ doom and gloom about software companies, predictin’ the rise of these “artificial intelligences” would leave ’em flatter than a pancake. And today? Why, they’re dancin’ a jig over Nice, a company providin’ fancy software, and its stock’s done jumped somethin’ fierce – eleven percent, if you please. Seems they beat expectations on their earnin’s, growin’ sales and profits a bit. A respectable performance, mind you, but enough to cause a stampede? I’d say it smells a bit like a bubble brewin’, but who am I to argue with a mob?

This Here “AI” and Its Shenanigans

This Nice company, it appears, has been sufferin’ a bit of a downturn, losin’ fifteen percent of its value before today’s excitement. Folks were worryin’ that this “AI” business would disrupt everything. But the CEO, Scott Russell, he announced that this “AI ARR” – whatever that is – had increased by sixty-six percent. And get this – every single one of their deals over a million dollars now includes this “AI.” Seems the market’s suddenly decided AI isn’t a threat, but a tonic. A right convenient change of heart, wouldn’t you say?

Now, Nice is already the top dog, accord’ to Gartner’s folks, in this “Contact Center as a Service” business. They went and bought a company called Cognigy – a name that sounds like somethin’ a medicine man would concoct – for a billion dollars. This Cognigy, it’s supposed to be a leader in “conversational and agenetic AI.” Sounds like a lot of fancy talk to me. But the market seems to believe it’s worth its weight in gold.

They boast eighty-five of the Fortune 100 as customers. A hefty clientele, to be sure. And the stock is tradin’ at ten times free cash flow – which, for a tech company, is somethin’ like findin’ a ten-dollar bill in an old coat. They got over a billion dollars in cash sittin’ around, and they’re buyin’ back shares like they’re goin’ out of style. It’s a curious sight, this company spendin’ money to make itself look more valuable. Like polishin’ a pebble and callin’ it a diamond.

I’ll be watchin’ Nice closely, I will. Seein’ if they can maintain this little frolic. The market seems mighty quick to declare somethin’ disruptive one day and a savior the next. It reminds me of a dog chasin’ its tail – a lot of runnin’ around, but gettin’ nowhere fast. I reckon we’ll see if this “AI” truly changes the landscape or if it’s just another one of those grand illusions Wall Street’s so fond of peddlin’.

2026-02-19 20:22

This Here “AI” and Its Shenanigans

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