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For some time now, the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ – those darlings of the artificial intelligence boom – have held court. But even empires built on the promise of boundless innovation are susceptible to the gnawing doubts of reality. The whispers have begun: are these valuations merely phantoms, inflated by an insatiable appetite for the new? Is the infrastructure required to sustain this digital fever dream consuming itself, a monstrous engine devouring its own fuel? Perhaps, after all, there is a limit to the returns of the purely ethereal.

But whether it’s still a good idea to buy some is a question. A sad little question, really. Like asking if the ice floe under your feet is sturdy enough.

But this past week, something happened. It moved. Not dramatically, mind you – we’re not talking about a seismic shift – but it did, undeniably, tick upwards.

CapitalWatch, the latest to enter this hall of reflections, alleges a scheme of “Ad-Spend-as-Laundering,” a phrase that, while lacking the elegance of a Borges short story, evokes a compelling image: a river of money flowing through the digital ether, its source and destination obscured by layers of algorithmic complexity. The claim – that AppLovin facilitates the distribution of illicit applications, silently seeded onto unsuspecting devices – is unsettling, not for its novelty, but for its inherent plausibility. In an age defined by data streams and obscured transactions, the line between legitimate commerce and covert operation has become dangerously blurred.

This Oracle, it’s become one of them essential infrastructure providers, like the railroad was back in my day. Servin’ up cloud computin’ and data to all these newfangled tech companies. They’ve got contracts, mind you, for all this future business. But a contract ain’t a gold nugget in yer pocket; it’s just a piece of paper with fancy writin’. Still, it is a sign, if you squint at it just right, that somebody believes they’ll be around to collect when the bill comes due. Though, let me tell ya, fulfillin’ promises is harder than wranglin’ a stubborn mule.

The stock, as these things do, has been on a journey. A rather enthusiastic parabolic arc, rising some 2,300% over the last three years. Which, let’s be honest, is the sort of number that usually precedes a stern talking-to from the Department of Common Sense. But here we are. And now, in the early days of 2026, a wobble. A dip. A chance, perhaps, to acquire a small piece of the future at a slightly less astronomical price.

Three months? Nearly doubled. Since my September prediction – a prediction I’m now legally obligated to remind everyone about – we’re up 165%. Which, frankly, is embarrassing for all the other chip companies. It’s like watching a rom-com where the underdog actually gets the girl. And the stock? Scorching hot into 2026. I’m starting to think I should quit my day job and just become a stock whisperer.