Observe, if you will, the spectacle of Artificial Intelligence. It arrived not with a trumpet blast of genuine innovation, but with the whispering of charlatans and the frantic scribbling of prospectuses. A grand delusion, naturally. We are now, it seems, approaching the inevitable trough of disillusionment – that desolate valley where inflated expectations collapse into a heap of broken algorithms and shareholder regret. A perfectly predictable cycle, documented with tedious precision by the gentlemen at Gartner, as if the follies of man required a chart to be understood. They speak of “innovation triggers” and “plateaus of productivity.” Bah! It is merely the ebb and flow of credulity, a dance of fools performed to the tune of venture capital.
One might ask, what is to be done amidst this wreckage? Not to weep, certainly. Not to gnash teeth and declare the end of progress. No, one must sift through the debris, identify the few companies that, through a combination of luck, competence, or sheer stubbornness, might actually survive. I have peered into the gloom, braved the swirling mists of hype, and emerged with a handful of names – not promises of salvation, mind you, but potential salvageable wrecks. Let us examine them, shall we?
Meta Platforms: The Illusionist’s Gambit
Ah, Meta Platforms (META +2.14%). A company perpetually engaged in a desperate attempt to redefine itself, much like a disgraced nobleman attempting to pass as a merchant. They have poured fortunes into this “AI” endeavor, and the market, with its customary shortsightedness, has punished them for it. Yet, consider this: they have, remarkably, managed to apply this technology to their core business – the relentless pursuit of user attention. Their algorithms now whisper more seductive promises, their advertisements are targeted with unnerving precision. They are, in essence, perfecting the art of distraction. A dubious achievement, perhaps, but undeniably effective. A stock to own during this period of disillusionment? A calculated gamble, certainly, but one with a glimmer of… something.
Amazon: The Logistician’s Dream (and Nightmare)
Amazon (AMZN +1.00%). A behemoth, sprawling across the landscape like a particularly ambitious fungus. They have, with typical efficiency, woven AI into the very fabric of their logistics network. Boxes now find their way to our doorsteps with unsettling speed, guided by algorithms that seem to anticipate our desires before we ourselves do. They are also, naturally, attempting to exploit this technology for advertising, because why not? And then there’s their cloud computing business, growing at an alarming rate, fueled by a vast investment in Anthropic. They are, in short, a machine dedicated to the accumulation of wealth and the efficient delivery of… things. A reliable, if somewhat soulless, investment.
Microsoft: The Bureaucrat’s Fortress
Microsoft (MSFT +3.00%). A company built on the foundations of enterprise software and bureaucratic inertia. They have weathered countless storms, adapting with the slow, deliberate movements of a glacier. Their stock has suffered recently, plagued by fears of software disruption and the profligate spending on computing power. Yet, their software remains deeply embedded in the arteries of commerce, and their AI assistant chatbots are gaining traction. And then there’s Azure, their cloud computing platform, poised to become their primary growth engine. Oh, and they own 27% of OpenAI, which has committed to spending $250 billion on Azure services. A comfortable, predictable, if somewhat uninspired, investment.
ServiceNow & Salesforce: The System’s Guardians
The software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector is currently experiencing a rather unpleasant spasm of panic, fueled by the mistaken belief that AI will render these solutions obsolete. A foolish notion. The companies whose platforms are deeply integrated into their customers’ data and workflows are, in fact, well-positioned to thrive. ServiceNow (NOW +1.67%) appears to be positioning itself as an “AI orchestration platform” – a suitably grandiose title. Salesforce (CRM +3.63%), meanwhile, has declared itself an “AI agent launch pad” and “main system of record” following its acquisition of Informatica. A bold claim, to be sure, but one that speaks to their ambition – and their ability to acquire anything that stands in their way.
AMD: The Underappreciated Artisan
Despite the frenzy of spending on AI infrastructure, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 1.37%) stock has fallen from its lofty heights. A curious oversight. They are the number two player in graphics processing units (GPUs), and a commitment and investment from OpenAI should provide a welcome boost. But the more compelling reason to consider this stock is their dominance in data center central processing units (CPUs). As AI becomes increasingly “agentic,” CPUs will become ever more crucial. A shrewd, if somewhat contrarian, investment.
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2026-02-26 15:12