So Dan Ives from Wedbush just casually dropped his top 10 AI stock picks for year-end, and honestly? The guy’s basically become the unofficial AI hype man of Wall Street. But before you roll your eyes at another “AI is the future” take, hear him out.
While everyone’s freaking out about AI being a bubble (again), Ives is over here like “nah, we’re barely getting started.” His argument? We’re living in a “1996 moment, not a 1999 bubble moment.” Translation: We’re at the beginning of the internet boom, not the crash-and-burn ending.
His reasoning is actually pretty solid. Consumer AI hasn’t even really kicked off yet, autonomous cars are still figuring out how to park, and most companies are still treating AI like that expensive gym membership they’ll “definitely use soon.” Only 5% of US businesses have actually gone all-in on AI strategy. That’s… not exactly bubble territory.
The Top 10 List (Because Everyone Loves a Good Ranking)
1. Microsoft (MSFT) – The “best positioned hyperscaler” aka the company that’s basically become AI’s landlord
2. Palantir (PLTR) – Up 117% this year because apparently “AI use cases start and end with Karp & Co.”
3. Nvidia (NVDA) – Still the “one chip fueling the AI revolution” (no pressure, Jensen)
4. AMD (AMD) – The scrappy underdog “set to gain market share” with a “compelling valuation”
5. Tesla (TSLA) – Because “autonomous and robotics future” is apparently “on the doorstep”
6. Apple (AAPL) – The “consumer AI Revolution goes through Cupertino” (classic Apple, making everything about them)
7. Meta (META) – “Way oversold on cap-ex concerns” (Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse spending finally paying off?)
8. Alphabet (GOOG) – “Gemini the real deal” and “AI tailwinds just starting”
9. CrowdStrike (CRWD) – “One of the best cybersecurity AI plays” (because someone needs to protect us from AI)
10. Palo Alto Networks (PANW) – The “platformization strategy + AI = 2026 growth formula”
The Reality Check
Look, Ives has been pretty spot-on with his tech calls, but let’s be real – this list reads like a “who’s who” of expensive tech stocks. The year-to-date gains range from Palo Alto’s modest 2% to Palantir’s absolutely bonkers 117%.
The interesting part? He’s not just throwing darts at the AI dartboard. These picks span the entire AI ecosystem – from the chip makers (Nvidia, AMD) to the platform builders (Microsoft, Google) to the companies figuring out how to actually use this stuff (Palantir, Tesla).
Whether you buy into the “1996 moment” thesis or think we’re one ChatGPT glitch away from reality, one thing’s clear: AI isn’t going anywhere. And if Ives is right, we’re still in the early innings of what could be the biggest tech transformation since, well, 1996.
Just maybe don’t bet the farm on it. Even prophets can be wrong.