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Shareholder returns, of course, are the official justification. The paperwork is extensive. But to focus solely on profit is to miss the underlying… arrangement. The stock did not ascend in a linear fashion, naturally. It suffered setbacks. A minor contraction in 2018, attributed to vague anxieties concerning economic cycles. The price diminished, predictably, by more than half. A corrective measure, one assumes, though the rationale remains elusive.

D-Wave, a name that once echoed with the potential to unlock the secrets of the universe, has lately suffered a decline, a shedding of nearly forty percent of its value in recent months. This downturn has prompted the usual chorus of questions: is this a moment for the shrewd investor to gather fallen fruit, or a warning to steer clear of a ship taking on water? The company, once a beacon of hope in the nascent field of quantum computing, has seen its stock soar by an astonishing 1,600% over the past three years, a testament to the seductive power of technological speculation. But the markets, like capricious gods, rarely allow such ascensions to continue unchecked.

There was a time, not so long ago, when folks feared these artificial intelligences would up and steal the bread from Google’s search engine. A right silly notion, when you think on it. Turns out, folks are just as happy askin’ a machine as they are askin’ a feller with a bit of book learnin’. Google’s search revenue, it seems, is still flowin’ like the Mississippi – up near 15 percent to around $56.6 billion last quarter. These AI “Overviews” and “Modes” are keepin’ folks clickin’ and lookin’, especially the younger generation who seem to think every answer can be found with a few taps on a screen. They even got over 75 million folks usin’ this conversational searchin’ gadget daily. A marvel, I tell ya, though I reckon a good library card is still a better investment.

But the question persists: has this ascent already captured all the potential reward, leaving only the inevitable reckoning? The field of quantum computation, while possessing a theoretical grandeur, is becoming increasingly crowded, a jostling of both established behemoths and nimble start-ups, each vying for dominance. One is reminded of the great landowners of old, each claiming a portion of the fertile land, and prepared to defend it with both cunning and force. Is IonQ, in this new landscape, still a prudent investment, or merely a vessel carrying the hopes – and the funds – of those who believe in a future yet unproven?

Transaction value is calculated based on the SEC Form 4 weighted average purchase price ($12.41); post-transaction value reflects the January 26, 2026 market close ($12.50).

So, I started looking for something… sturdier. Something that wasn’t reliant on the whims of Mark Zuckerberg’s latest obsession. That’s when I landed on NextEra Energy (NEE 0.32%). It’s not exactly glamorous, I admit. It’s not like buying shares in a company that designs self-folding laundry. But NextEra generates power. Real, tangible power. From things like natural gas, nuclear, solar, and wind. It’s… reassuringly basic. Like a good, solid pair of sensible shoes.

One feels, naturally, a certain degree of interest in the details, to ascertain whether this upward trajectory is likely to continue. Let’s have a closer look, shall we?

The plan, as it stands, involves scaling back production of the Model S and X – the posh ones, if you will – and repurposing a factory to churn out humanoid robots. A million a year, they say. A million! That’s a lot of robots. It reminds me of a story about a chap who decided to collect bottle caps. Started reasonably enough, but within a year his house was entirely filled. One hopes Tesla has a slightly more robust storage solution. The third generation Optimus is due this quarter, apparently designed for actual mass production. One assumes they’ve ironed out the kinks – the last thing you want is a million robots with a penchant for spontaneous combustion.