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These aren’t the hulking, Chernobyl-esque behemoths of yesteryear. Think of them as, well, pint-sized power plants. They can be largely constructed in a factory – which is a rather clever idea, really, because trying to build a nuclear reactor on site is a bit like assembling a complicated clock while standing on a wobbly ladder. Several companies are having a go, and two in particular, Oklo and BWX Technologies, have garnered quite a bit of attention. Both are attempting to solve a very pressing problem, but with markedly different approaches and, crucially, different levels of financial stability.

Apple, as a purveyor of meticulously crafted objects, understands the power of illusion. The design, of course, is paramount. A device that offends the eye, however ingenious its inner workings, is doomed to obscurity. The success of Meta Platforms’ (formerly Facebook) foray into AI-assisted eyewear – 7 million units sold, a figure that echoes faintly in the vastness of consumer desire – offers a precedent. EssilorLuxottica, the partner in this venture, has demonstrated a market exists for the augmentation of vision. If Apple can distill this concept into a form that is both aesthetically pleasing and functionally coherent, it may well eclipse its competitor, creating a mirrored reflection of success.

Because what they don’t shout from the rooftops is that doubled gains work both ways. It’s a beautifully symmetrical problem, isn’t it? The market dips, and suddenly you’re not just losing money, you’re losing it at an accelerated rate. And look, I’m all for a bit of risk, but there’s a difference between calculated risk and… well, a slightly unhinged gamble. It’s enough to make you want to just stuff cash under your mattress, frankly.

We’re talking about a $300 BILLION jump from last year. That’s not incremental; that’s a goddamn rocket launch. And two entities, two shimmering beacons in this digital wasteland, are poised to soak up the lion’s share of this madness. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) and ASML Holding. Forget your blue chips and dividend plays. This is about survival. This is about positioning yourself in the path of the coming tidal wave.

March arrives, a month burdened with expectation. The scent of renewal is strong, but the blossoms, one must observe, are often grafted onto older, less visible stock. A shareholder meeting, a new land in France, content flowing through the digital ether… these are not events, but symptoms. Symptoms of a machine relentlessly seeking its own continuation.

The quarterly report, released on Wednesday, was, let us say, uninspired. A “disaster,” as the more blunt-tongued among us might observe. Both revenue and profit failed to materialize as expected. It’s a curious thing, this modern obsession with “expectations.” As if a company’s fate were determined not by actual performance, but by the whims of analysts. One pictures them, these analysts, huddled in darkened rooms, divining the future with tea leaves and stock charts.

The bulls will tell you it’s locked-in cash flow, a sure thing. And honestly? That’s a lovely story. It’s just… I tend to prefer stories with a little grit, a little acknowledgement that things can go wrong. And oh, darling, can they go wrong here.

There are, of course, those who chase the ephemeral, the promise of quick returns. But for those who understand that time is a river, not a race, there are reasons to consider a long vigil with this particular company.

The trouble, as near as I can tell, started with these GLP-1 weight-loss concoctions. They tried their hand at a copycat of Wegovy, a pill for shedding pounds, and ran afoul of the authorities. The FDA Commissioner, a fellow named Marty Makary, threatened to come down on them like a ton of bricks, and Novo Nordisk, the folks who actually invented the thing, filed a lawsuit. Seems they were selling these compounded versions while the genuine article was in short supply, a bit of opportunism that backfired, wouldn’t you say? A fella can’t just go around copying other folks’ recipes, even if they are for slimming down.