Oh Come On!
Investor, Venture Capital Background
The Magnificent Seven are nothing like they were in 2023. Bulls have retreated from huge cash gushers, easy returns on incremental capital and mega-buybacks to conceding that the companies consume cash, float debt, issue equity and round-trip their cloud growth. They once free-rode on ISPs' capex while monetizing behavior ISPs are legally barred from, but with AI data centers they must foot a bill orders of magnitude bigger. x.com x.comÂ
Microsoft's position is the most crowded among the Magnificent Seven, and fund flows are against it as funds sell those stocks to reserve cash for Anthropic's IPO. It faded despite an excellent earnings report. x.comÂ
Alphabet's surging AI capex is outpacing its payoff. Its first double earnings miss in four years came with free cash flow of -$9.1 billion versus -$2.7 billion expected, long-term debt up 479% in a year to $125.1 billion, and guidance for significantly higher 2027 capex above $300 billion. x.com x.comÂ
The Magnificent Seven's growth, fortress balance sheets and central role in the AI buildout now come at multiples that finally make sense. They have barely bent when high-beta names lose 10% in a session; that resilience makes their valuations down here one of the better opportunities in this market. x.comÂ
Magnificent Seven stocks face continued pressure as AI capex keeps eating their free cash flow with no sign of slowing, and the market is not rewarding the builders for now despite the returns. The recipients of that spending in power, grid, chips and materials, such as TSMC, GE Vernova, Micron and ASML, look better. Concern is greatest for Tesla and Meta, whose recent moves seem disconnected and whose AI showcase was embarrassing; Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet are less concerning. x.comÂ
Alphabet's AI capex payback is being repriced, making its post-earnings decline more than a one-day mood swing. Guidance and cloud and AI margin commentary are the near-term tests. If growth continues but the multiple compresses, the risk is duration in mega-cap AI, not a collapse in technology growth. x.comÂ
Record-high positioning in hyperscalers and the Magnificent Seven could bring short-term weakness if the market trades against crowded holdings. The medium-term hyperscaler thesis still looks attractive, but the near-term positioning risk tempers it. x.comÂ
Alphabet's higher capex guidance compounds the risk that already demanding revenue estimates must fall. The Street expected 25% revenue growth in 2027 and 21% in 2028; as 2028 earnings consensus resets, a 10% stock decline could be justified. x.comÂ
Financing risk makes AI-linked growth stocks unattractive to add here. Much of the money reaching suppliers such as Nvidia and Micron is financed, so harder funding would limit spending on chips, compute and memory. The buildout is not over, but stock prices could remain suppressed until it slows. A significant drawdown would make adding appealing; for many high-beta names with weak fundamentals and balance sheets, the highs look to be in. x.comÂ
Rapid revenue growth makes the capex bear case harder to justify for Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta and Amazon. Their latest cited growth rates are 18%, 23%, 28% and 16% in Q2, respectively; their scale does not seem to be slowing them as expected. x.comÂ
At $1.5T of margin debt, a market crack could punish stocks vulnerable to cyclical earnings or high expectations. Micron's profits could fall fast if memory prices weaken; SanDisk's earnings could suffer if NAND pricing turns despite booming AI demand. Palantir's sky-high valuation leaves little room for a growth miss, SpaceX's private-market expectations could suffer if sentiment turns, and Tesla's premium could unwind if autonomy and robotics disappoint. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.comÂ