So everyone’s freaking out about AI being a bubble, right? Well, Dan Ives from Wedbush Securities just dropped his “chill out, we’re fine” manifesto along with his top 10 AI stock picks for the rest of 2025. And honestly? The guy makes some solid points.
Here’s the thing: Ives has been covering tech since the ’90s (yeah, he lived through the actual dot-com crash), so when he says this isn’t 1999 all over again, I’m listening. His argument? We’re more like 1996 – early days of something massive, not the peak before everything implodes.
Why isn’t this a bubble? Get this: less than 5% of US companies have actually gone all-in on AI strategy. We haven’t even seen the consumer AI revolution kick off properly. Autonomous cars are barely getting started. Robotics is still mostly lab experiments. Translation: we’re not even close to peak hype yet.
The Top 10 List (Drumroll Please):
1. Microsoft (MSFT) – The enterprise AI king. If your company’s going to use AI, it’s probably going through Microsoft somehow.
2. Palantir (PLTR) – Up 117% this year because, as Ives puts it, “AI use cases start and end with Karp & Co.” Dramatic? Maybe. Wrong? Probably not.
3. Nvidia (NVDA) – Still the “one chip fueling the AI revolution.” Yeah, it’s obvious, but sometimes obvious wins.
4. AMD (AMD) – The scrappy underdog gaining market share while everyone obsesses over Nvidia. Plus, it’s actually reasonably priced.
5. Tesla (TSLA) – Because autonomous driving and robots are “on the doorstep.” Elon time aside, they’re probably right about this one.
6. Apple (AAPL) – The “consumer AI revolution goes through Cupertino.” When Apple finally does AI properly, it’s game over for everyone else.
7. Meta (META) – “Way oversold on cap-ex concerns.” Translation: everyone’s panicking about their spending, but they’re early on monetizing consumer AI.
8. Alphabet (GOOG) – Gemini is “the real deal” and AI tailwinds are just getting started. Google’s not going anywhere.
9. CrowdStrike (CRWD) – Cybersecurity meets AI. Because if everything’s getting smarter, everything needs better protection.
10. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) – Their “platformization strategy + AI = 2026 growth formula.” Sounds fancy, probably works.
Look, I’m not saying throw your life savings at these stocks (please don’t). But if you’re looking for AI exposure and want to follow someone who’s been around the block, Ives’ track record speaks for itself. The guy’s basically saying we’re still in the early innings of a very long game.
The market’s been jittery lately about AI spending and chip depreciation, but maybe that’s just creating buying opportunities for the patient investor. Just remember: even the smartest Wall Street analysts can be wrong. Do your own homework, diversify, and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
But hey, at least now you know which stocks the pros are watching.