CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Zscaler, Fortinet and Okta could spike on fear stirred by Sam Altman's AI warning. x.comÂ
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Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, Okta and CrowdStrike benefit because data and data privacy are core ingredients of AI, making protection against cyberattacks essential. Per Chamath Palihapitiya and others on the All-In podcast, AI creates many opportunities for data leaks, a clear story behind cybersecurity's relative strength. Cyber companies also get special access to Anthropic's top Claude model, Claude Mythos, which gives them significant leverage. x.comÂ
Cybersecurity, the best-performing part of software this year, can keep rising as AI safety concerns emerge. Okta is up 116% year to date, Fortinet 113%, Palo Alto Networks 104%, CrowdStrike 99%, Datadog 69%, Cloudflare 67%, F5 61% and SentinelOne 50%. Every one beat on both revenue and EPS last quarter and trades above major technical supports. x.comÂ
Cybersecurity stocks such as Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike and Zscaler face a sea of red once pod shops absorb the AI-disruption risk, given the sector's valuations. Investors at Slow Ventures say they are increasingly convinced AI's first major victims will be these cybersecurity incumbents, whose security stack may not survive an AI-native threat world. x.comÂ
These twelve stocks could dominate the next era by meeting infrastructure and consumer demand. TSMC makes AI chips; Palo Alto Networks secures cloud; GE Aerospace earns engine-service revenue; IREN builds AI cloud; Broadcom supplies chips and networking; Intuitive Surgical sells surgical robots. Strategy offers bitcoin exposure; e.l.f. Beauty serves Gen Z; Robinhood expands finance; The Trade Desk serves advertisers; Walmart adds ads and memberships; Vistra powers AI data centers. x.com x.com … Show more
Cybersecurity may be the next big AI trade, because AI agents create a whole new attack surface. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz says the threat is now autonomous campaigns at machine speed, and each agent becomes a privileged identity needing least-privilege access and a kill switch, pushing security into runtime infrastructure. CrowdStrike, Palo Alto and Zscaler are in a land grab. CrowdStrike's 15 years of telemetry can't be copied, making its Threat Graph a network effect. x.comÂ
CrowdStrike, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet and Okta offer terrible risk/reward because their valuations need a lot to go right. The thesis is correct: more AI agents mean more identities, endpoints and attack surfaces, so security spend should keep growing. But CrowdStrike trades at 147x forward earnings, Palo Alto at 79x, Fortinet at 44x and Okta at 41x. These are good, some exceptional, businesses, yet a great business can still be a terrible investment at the wrong price. x.comÂ
Zeta Global, ServiceNow, Datadog and CrowdStrike look increasingly attractive among software names as AI disrupts applications: businesses with proprietary data that build on AI and deliver intelligence and measurable outcomes could win. Cybersecurity valuations remain a concern. x.comÂ
AI-powered attacks are spreading so fast that companies are unlikely to cut security budgets, even if they slow broader AI spending. The latest wave hit governments, banks, hospitals, grocery chains and businesses, while AI finds vulnerabilities and breaks in around the clock. That is why Cloudflare, Zscaler, CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks rose as broader AI concerns hit tech shares. x.com x.comÂ
Cybersecurity stocks' large run-up is at risk from a cheaper, open Chinese AI model. ValsAI reports that DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 beat GPT 6 Sol on its offensive cybersecurity task; DeepSeek is far cheaper to run than a closed US model. x.comÂ
Cybersecurity has never been more important as reported vulnerabilities at Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Microsoft go parabolic. That favors Rubrik, CrowdStrike, Cloudflare, Zscaler and Palo Alto Networks. x.comÂ