At some point, youve likely welcomed a recent college graduate into your business. Theyre smart, well-educated, and full of potentialbut on day one, they have little understanding of your companys unique processes, culture, or goals.
Large language models (LLMs) are much the same. They carry vast general knowledge yet lack the specific context that makes them immediately valuable to your organization. Just like new hires go through the onboarding ropes, LLMs need structured access to your businesss data, tools, and workflows to become truly useful.
Thats where Model Context Protocol (MCP) comes in. MCP enables communication between AI applications, AI agents, applications and data sources. The protocol has quickly moved from an emerging standard to a strategic enabler, and the conversation were having with our clients has shifted from technical architecture to practical application.
MCP is not just another integration layer. Its a way to unlock latent value across your organization by connecting AI agents with the systems, data, and workflows that drive outcomes. The real opportunity lies in how you apply MCP.
Start with what and why
Lets be honest, theres no shortage of MCP primers out there. Most of them walk you through the architecture: hosts, clients, servers. Thats fine, but its not where the real value is. The real question isnt, How does MCP work? Its What can I do with it? and Why does it matter to my business?
When we talk about MCP, I try to steer the conversation away from the architecture and toward the outcomes. What problem are you solving? Why is MCP the right tool to achieve your goals?
A Midwest health system we worked with wanted to personalize treatment for patients with hypertension, using the vast troves of data stored in their electronic health records (EHR). The strategic hurdle wasnt just accessing the data, it was giving access securely, at scale, and in a way that respected compliance boundaries across thousands of patient encounters.
With MCP, we were able to connect AI agents to a rich EHR data model that included vitals, medications, comorbidities, lab results, and even nuanced metrics like ejection fraction readings. MCP serves as the structured conduit, enabling the AI to interact with nearly 800 patient features per encounter without compromising privacy or requiring custom integrations.
The predictive accuracy has enabled clinicians to tailor treatment plans with greater precision, according to our client. Patients have gained an estimated 100 additional days of life, and the system saw $2,000 in annual healthcare savings for 20% of its hypertension population.
Similarly, a national convenience store chain used MCP to connect AI systems with real-time data on customer movement, promotional engagement, and inventory shrinkage. No retraining models. No custom APIs. Just a scalable model for improving store performance.
MCP isnt just a bridge between systems. More vitally, it connects strategic intent with measurable outcomes.
Guardrails for autonomy and accountability
As we move toward agentic AImodels acting like digital employeesautonomy without structure is risky. You wouldnt let a new hire run wild with sensitive data or make decisions without oversight, and the same goes for AI.
One major challenge is idempotency, or the ability to perform the same operation repeatedly with consistent results. Most LLMs arent idempotent. Ask one to write an email five times, and youll get five different versions. Thats fine for creativity, but not for processing payments or executing compliance workflows.
MCP introduces guardrails to standardize how agents interact with internal systems, ensuring repeatable, reliable outcomes even if the AIs internal reasoning varies. Thats critical in regulated industries like healthcare, finance, and government.
We saw this play out with a Middle East government statistics agency. They had decades of data buried in legacy systems. MCP enabled a voice-powered AI interface that could query massive datasets in Arabic and English. What used to take weeks now takes seconds, and more importantly, decision-makers now have timely, contextual intelligence at their fingertips.
Strategic implementation: build once, scale everywhere
Heres the thing: MCP isnt about building one-off solutions. Its about creating frameworks that can be reused across departments and use cases.
To apply MCP effectively, organizations must think in the following terms:
Reliability and repeatability: MCP enforces structured communication, making AI agents more predictable and trustworthy.
Scalability and ecosystem growth: With a unified API layer, MCP simplifies deployment and integration, accelerating innovation.
Safety and control: MCP ensures AI agents operate within defined boundaries, protecting sensitive data and maintaining enterprise integrity.
We worked with a global healthcare technology provider that wanted to simplify complex medical terminology for patients. Instead of building a narrow solution, we used MCP to create a reusable framework that could be extended across departments.
AI agents can securely access structured medical data and terminology libraries, apply consistent translation logic, and tailor outputs for patients, clinicians, and administrative staff.
That same protocol-driven infrastructure was later adapted for internal training, multilingual documentation, and voice-assisted navigation of clinical systems. MCP made it possible to replicate success without reinventing the wheel.
Thats what strategic implementation looks liketurning isolated wins into enterprise-wide transformation.
The road ahead
MCP is more than protocol, its a strategic enabler. It gives AI agents the structure they need to interact with enterprise data and tools. This means businesses can unlock new efficiencies, reduce development cycles, and build a thriving ecosystem of interoperable AI solutions.
The full potential is still unfolding, but for companies serious about AI, working with partners that understand how to apply MCP can be foundational. With the right guardrails in place, AI can be creative and compliant, autonomous, and accountable.
Just what youd expect from any employee helping move your business forward.
Juan Orlandini is CTO North America of Insight Enterprises.
Were in the midst of an extraordinary wave of AI-fueled innovation, and no industry will remain untouched. Its still early days in what promises to be a new technology super cycle. But for impact organizations such as nonprofits and government agencies that typically lag in tech adoption, this moment represents a priceless window of opportunity.
Unfortunately, the impact sector is still playing it safe with digital strategies that prioritize incremental modifications over decisive, daring action and technical innovation. These organizations are led by some of the smartest, most dedicated people I know, and they understand the trends. So why are they stuck in their approach to digital?
Impact organizations cant afford to ignore AI
Before we jump into the reasons nonprofits and government agencies are playing it safe, lets consider the stakesand why time is of the essence when it comes to adopting AI.
First, AI is an impact multiplier. Leaning into the technology isnt about adopting new tech for the sake of keeping current. Its about radically amplifying your teams capacity to focus on your core mission rather than rote administrative tasks.
Of course, AI isnt a panacea. And there are serious ethical considerations that should be taken into account along the way. The best technology decisions are always values-aligned. But that doesnt mean sidestepping it altogether.
Second, the moment to act is now. Over the coming years, the gap between organizations that figure out how to effectively adopt AI and those that dont will widen exponentially. And in these early, chaotic days of technological innovation, AI tools and models are more affordable and accessible than ever before, creating a unique opportunity for even resource-strapped organizations to explore their potential. But realizing that potential requires thoughtful investment, even when entry costs seem low.
Finally, all organizations, from corporate giants to small nonprofits, are still figuring out how to adopt AI. In this rare moment of digital parity, you have the chance to position your organization at the front of the curve.
Five common mistakes that prevent digital risk-taking
There are several reasons non-profits and government agencies fail to take calculated risks in their digital strategies. These mistakes arent unique to the current moment. They are perennial stumbling blocks that hinder digital innovation for many well-intentioned organizations and agencies.
Here are five common mistakes that prevent digital risk-taking and how to solve them.
1. Underfunding digital investments
Nonprofits and government agencies are fundamentally resource constrained. Budgets in the public sector are never going to rival those available in the private sector.
But its also about resource allocation.
Digital is often still viewed as just a communications tool or overhead rather than a core investment that is fundamental to program delivery and organizational success. Digital projects are often viewed as a one-time line item rather than an ongoing investment that needs to be refined and improved over time. Further, investments are often made just in technology, but not in the people and processes that will ultimately make that technology successful.
Solution: Advocate for increased and sustained digital budgets by aligning digital strategies with organizational goals and measuring ROI over time.
2. Decision by committee
The prevalence of committee-driven decision-making and the pursuit of consensus often leads to watered-down strategies and missed opportunities. In a fast-paced digital environment, this approach can also slow down decision-making. The result is a strategy that is already outdated by the time it is implemented.
Solution: Streamline decision-making processes for digital initiatives. Implement agile methodologies and empower digital teams with greater autonomy.
3. Thinking you know your audience better than you do
Ask any public servant or nonprofit staffer, and theyll tell you that what motivates them is helping people. But when it comes to knowing their audiences, many teams rely too heavily on what they think they know about key stakeholders. Worse, some organizations prioritize internal perspectives over the needs and preferences of their target audiences. This misalignment can lead to digital initiatives that fail to resonate or drive meaningful engagement.
Solution: Take the time to conduct direct user research and test products with the people they are designed to serve.
4. Fear of failure
The impact sectors current funding models and budget structures create an environment where failure is taboo. This risk-averse culture stifles innovation and prevents organizations from learning through experimentationa crucial element of digital success.
Solution: Focus funding proposals on outcomes, not activities, to allow flexibility in approach and create a culture of innovation that embraces calculated risks and learns from failures.
5. Analysis paralysis
When confronted with thorny problems like AI adoption, many organizations hang back because they are waiting for the just right moment or a critical mass of decisive information to make a move. In the wildly fast-moving world of AI, this mindset doesnt work. Learning by doing is the best course of action. Experimentation and prototyping are the name of the game.
Solution: Empower your team to experiment with AI tools. Provide flexible guidelines that ensure data security and values alignment without stifling creativity.
AI is here to stay, and its indelibly reshaping the digital landscape. For risk-averse impact organizations, avoiding it is the riskiest strategy of all.
Elisabeth Bradley is CEO of Forum One.
For the tens of millions of Americans affected by a rare disease, their genes often hold the key to getting the answers they desperately need; from helping them obtain an accurate diagnosis, to identifying which treatments they are likely to respond to. However, accessing these vital genetic insights has not always been prioritized by healthcare providers and payers. Fortunately, this is starting to change.
After leading Baylor Genetics for nearly a decade, I have seen firsthand how powerful these genetic insights can be. They transform lives, guide clinical decisions, and bring long-awaited answers to patients and their families.
Baylor Genetics core mission is rooted in pushing the boundaries of science and breaking barriers to accelerate access to critical health information. With that, the future of diagnosing rare diseases will depend on our ability to ensure that genomic sequencing becomes standard of care.
Pediatric patients and the diagnostic odyssey
About 80% of rare diseases have a genetic cause, and almost 70% of which present in childhood. For many, the road to diagnosis, often referred to as the “diagnostic odyssey” can take years, is costly, and filled with uncertainty. Unlocking genetic insights for pediatric patients can often lead to a much more expedient and sometimes lifesaving diagnosis.
For children suffering from a rare disease, the diagnostic odyssey that leads to a correct diagnosis averages more than four years but is considerably longer for some. Tragically, approximately 30% of children with rare diseases die before reaching the age of five.
With advances in science, advanced precision diagnostics can shorten a diagnostic odyssey by replacing years of inconclusive tests with a definitive answer. Finally, this course of action is getting the endorsement it warrants.
2025 milestones for pediatric genetic testing
Florida lawmakers passed The Sunshine Genetics Act in July. This landmark initiative to advance early childhood healthcare through genomics creates a statewide pilot program, led by the Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at Florida State University, to provide voluntary, no-cost genomic sequencing for all newborns in the state. The goal is to identify serious but treatable genetic conditions before symptoms appear.
By offering genomic sequencing shortly after birth, the program empowers families with early genetic insights that can lead to faster diagnoses, timely interventions, and significantly improved outcomes. This investment in precision medicine not only improves care but helps families avoid years of diagnostic odyssey. The Sunshine Genetics Act positions Florida as a leader in proactive, equitable, and life-changing pediatric care.
One month prior, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended genome and exome sequencing as first-tier tests for children with certain developmental delays. This aligns with existing guidance from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics to further reinforce that these laboratory technologies are clinically indicated to guide patient care, improve outcomes, and reduce long-term costs. These recommendations also make the case to strengthen insurance coverage for genomic sequencing.
Both The Sunshine Genetics Act and AAPs endorsement mark a pivotal shift in pediatric genetic evaluation standards. AAPs endorsement marks a pivotal shift in pediatric genetic evaluation standards.
Final words
The transition from viewing genomic sequencing as a last resort to a frontline tool for diagnosis and care for rare disease marks an important shift in the healthcare industry. These milestones can empower physicians, when supported by genetics professionals, with access to earlier and more comprehensive insights that guide clinical decisions for patients and their families, marking a critical step toward faster diagnoses and improved outcomes.
I am excited for what the future holds and optimistic as more patients and families are able to benefit from the value that genetic insights can provide.
Kengo Takishima is chairman and CEO at Baylor Genetics.
For generations, American farms have powered the countrys food, feed, and fuel. Now, crops like corn and soybeans are at the core of homegrown industrial innovation.
From adhesives and cleaners to renewable fuels, manufacturers are finding new uses for agricultural inputs in place of traditional materials. The crops themselves havent changed, buttheyre now entering new value chains and reaching industries they havent historically served.
This evolution matters because more manufacturers are rethinking where and how they source materials. As companies look for inputs that are reliable, cost-effective, and produced closer to home, agriculture offers an overlooked advantage. The opportunity isnt about changing what we grow. Its about making agriculture a more connected, valuable part of the manufacturing economy.
Biomanufacturing uses tools like fermentation, molecular science, and biotechnology to convert plants and other living organisms into industrial materials. The results are already embedded in daily life, in packaging, construction materials, personal care products, and more. For example, dextrose made from corn can replace formaldehyde in insulation, reducing indoor emissions. Corn-derived adhesives are being used in cardboard packaging to replace petroleum-based glue.
Across the U.S., fast-growing infrastructure is supporting the production of biobased materials like these at commercial scale. New and retrofitted facilities are turning crops into renewable materials, supported by advancements in digital traceability, logistics, and science that link farms to industrial sectors theyve never served before.
Three forces are accelerating this growth: Scientific advances in fermentation, stronger demand for U.S.-based supply chains, and federal investment in domestic production. Together, these forces are expanding what crops can do and creating new value chains across the economy. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that the biobased products industry contributed $489 billion to the U.S. economy in 2021, employing nearly 4 million people.
For farmers, this shift represents a rare thing: More demand without more complexity. Theyre not being asked to grow new crops or change how they farm. Instead, new industrial markets are emerging for what they already produce, offering pricing stability, new demand channels, and potential premiums for quality and consistency.
These new pathways for crops are often shorter and more direct. ADM has a long-standing legacy of bridging the gap between agriculture and industry, connecting producers with buyers they might not otherwise reach, including fermentation companies and packaging manufacturers. That kind of access can translate to lower risk, steadier returns, and more choices at harvest.
In this way, agriculture is taking on a more strategic role in the American industrial landscape. The national push for lower emissions, greater economic resilience, and secure domestic supply chains aligns with the unique capabilities of U.S. farms. We have the crops, the producers, and increasingly, the infrastructure to lead.
Feeding people will always come first. But in todays economy, the same crops that support food and fuel can also support cleaner, more sustainable industrieswithout forcing a tradeoff. For producers, manufacturers, and the industries between them, the value of American agriculture is only growing.
Chris Cuddy is senior vice president and global president of the Carbohydrate Solutions unit at ADM.
On the afternoon of September 10, shortly after right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated in front of a crowd at Utah Valley University, videos of the Turning Point USA cofounder getting shot in the neck flooded social media.
As the news traveled fast, so did the videos. Unfortunately, users who did not wish to see the graphic content often unwittingly saw it anyway.
“How the fuck is that Charlie Kirk video the first thing I see on Instagram when I opened it?” one user shared on X.
The viral videos, which show the moment of the attack from various angles, as well as blood gushing from Kirk following the bullet’s impact, have found their way onto the feeds of many userswho are now reporting emotional distress.
“Do not watch the Charlie Kirk upclose video. It auto-played on my timeline and I am unwell. Omg. I implore youdo not watch,” one user shared on Threads.
Another X user echoed the sentiment, saying: “For those who haven’t seen the video of Charlie Kirk, please turn off Twitter. I really wish I hadn’t seen it.”
During the immediate aftermath of the incident, many users flocked to Reddit to learn what was happening. In a series of now-deleted Reddit threads reviewed by Fast Company, several users reported regret for watching the video, urging others to abstain from doing so.
Despite pleas for the video to be taken down or put behind content warnings, the videos are still easily accessible online.
For instance, as of this writing, the video could still be found on X and Instagramin some cases with a content warning if clicked on. Still, if appearing on the feed, the videos would auto-play with no warning.
The auto-play feature is the default setting on most of the popular social media platforms, although most of them offer users the option to turn it off. One notable exception is Metas Threadswhich was launched in 2023and currently offers no way to disable auto-play videos.
“Incredibly concerning”
A week before the shooting, the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), a research initiative, published a report that found graphic “fight” content was being pushed to an Instagram account set up to look like it belonged to a teenage userthis, despite the platform’s safety settings for teens
The morning after the Kirk incident, the same account used for the report, which says it was set up by someone born in 2009, found the graphic shooting video upon searching “Charlie Kirk Video,” auto-playing with no content warning. (Fast Company reviewed a screen recording of the experiment.)
“When you have one of the biggest technology companies on the planet explicitly telling parents that it keeps [teen] accounts safe from that content, yet is pushing graphic assassination videos to teens, that is incredibly concerning,” Katie Paul, director of TTP, tells Fast Company.
With videos of Kirk’s killing still showing up on children’s social media accounts meant to have safeguards that limit sensitive and graphic content, it comes as no surprise that they remain on the feeds of adults as well. But advocates for social media safety say large platforms should be doing a better job of protecting users from viewing the content accidentallyor at least warning them when something is explicit.
“They’re a public service,” Stephen Balkam, founder and CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute, says of the platforms. “They have huge responsibilities for what they allow on their platforms.”
Balkam noted that social media sites have taken initiatives to better police violent content in the past. He cites an instance in 2014, when videos depicting beheadings from the terrorist group ISIS circulated widely across platforms, sparking discussions about the need for heavier content moderation.
During the COVID pandemic, social media companies were further pressured to get more aggressive about dangerous misinformation during the health crisis.
However, companies like X (formerly Twitter) and Meta Platforms (owner of Facebook and Instagram) have since shifted toward less aggressive efforts.
When asked about the video circulating on its platforms, a Meta spokesperson referred Fast Company to the companys policies on violent and graphic content, saying those guidelines apply in this case. The guidelines say Meta removes “the most graphic content and adds warning labels to other types of content so that people are aware it may be sensitive before they click through.”
Representatives for Google-owned YouTube said they are “closely monitoring our platform and prominently elevating news content on the homepage, in search and in recommendations, to help people stay informed.”
Fast Company reached out to X but did not receive a response at the time of publishing.
Mental health impact
With many users reporting distress, experts and advocates are raising concerns over the long-term effects of exposure to violence.
“What we have found over the years is that repeated exposure to graphic images can have negative psychological and physical health consequences,” Roxane Cohen Silver, professor of psychology, medicine, and public health at the University of California, Irvine, tells Fast Company.
Silver has previously researched the mental and physical impact of stressful events and seeing graphic and violent content, including footage from the Boston Marathon bombing and the ISIS beheading videos.
“I certainly would encourage people to recognize that there can be psychological consequences of this kind of exposure, and monitor and moderate that exposure themselves,” she adds.
The impact on viewers may lead to difficulty falling asleep, nightmares, and other forms of acute stress, which may turn into physical symptoms due to continuous watching.
Balkam also noted concerns over prolonged exposure to violent content, which he points out can lead to desensitization or even insight further violence.
“So it’s about as bad as it gets,” he adds. “And for this to happen at a time when troops are on the streets of [Washington, D.C.] and maybe coming to your city. It just heightens the sense of, Oh, my God, where are we going as a country?”
Paul echoed concerns over the larger impacts of extreme graphic imagery boosted by social media. “This is not just an epidemic of violence in America that we have to deal with, but also the algorithmic amplification of that violent content to people who have no interest in seeing it,” she says.
A whistleblower is suing Alphabet, claiming that Verily, its health tech subsidiary, breached proper protocol for handling the sensitive health data of 25,000 patients.
Ryan Sloan, a former executive with Verily, claims the company retaliated against him and that he was fired after discovering and reporting to senior management violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This legislation provides protections for patients health information, including limiting how the data is accessed and used.
Sloan worked for Verilys subsidiary, Onduo, prior to taking a role with Verily. He alleges that in early 2022, he and Julia Feldman, the general counsel for Onduo, discovered that the company had improperly used patients protected health information for marketing and research purposes. The violations affected patients in Onduos diabetes program, according to reporting by CNBC.
Sloan and Feldman informed senior leadership of their findings in January 2022, according to the filing, and an internal investigation confirmed that several HIPAA violations had occurred.
Between January and March of 2022, internal investigators at Verily confirmed multiple breaches of fourteen (14) separate HIPAA Business Associate Agreements with large, covered entity clients of Onduo between 2017 and 2021, the filing said.
Companies are required to notify impacted parties within 60 days of discovering a HIPAA breachbut the company did not, according to the suit. Rather, it decided to delay the decision of notifying the covered entities and went on to negotiate contracts with companies that included Walgreens Boots Alliance, Highmark Health, Quest Diagnostics, and Delta Air Lines.
CLAIMS OF COVER-UP
The filing alleges that when Sloan raised his concerns, the companys actions were defended by a senior manager because disclosing the HIPAA violations would negatively affect public relations. Whats more, the company allegedly suppressed a press release out of concern it would draw attention to previous marketing studies that violated its HIPAA business associate agreements, and instructed employees not to mention it again.
Sloan was terminated from Verily in January 2023 while on protected leave to care for his mother, who was critically ill, according to the filing. Feldman and another employee who were aware of the HIPAA violations were also terminated.
Although Sloan’s allegations against the tech giant are part of a lawsuit that was filed last year, it had not been previously reported, according to CNBC.
JUDGE DISMISSES VERILY MOTION
On Monday, the federal judge overseeing this case struck a blow to Verily. The judge denied the companys request to dismiss Sloans civil complaint or send the dispute to arbitration.
In the dismissal filing, the judge noted that Sloan has stated a claim for breach of contract and that Verily does not dispute that if there were a contractual term for non-retaliation, whether express or implied, [Sloan] has pled sufficient facts to show that Verily retaliated against him in violation of that term.
That dismissal means that Sloans claims can move forward with legal proceedings.
In a statement to CNBC, a Verily spokesperson said: Verily believes the allegations and contentions alleged in this employment matter that was commenced in 2023 are completely without merit. Verily will defend itself to the full extent of the law.
VERILY BACKSTORY
Verily started in 2015 as an independent life sciences company within Alphabets innovation lab X. The moonshot company is meant to tackle the biggest challenges in health sciences with the use of tools, services, and software. The company originally developed devices like continuous glucose monitors before transitioning to pandemic response during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Its accomplishments include WastewaterSCAN, an initiative led by Stanford University, along with Emory University and Verily, to develop and scale a national wastewater sentinel system that can be used to inform public health measures to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases. (SCAN stands for “Sewer Coronavirus Alert Network.”)
But Verily has failed to achieve the types of successes that might be warranted, given the $1 billion-plus thats poured in from investors. And now the company plans to restructure in anticipation of a fresh round of investment. According to Business Insider, Verily is reportedly planning to transition from a limited liability company (LLC) to a C corporation, which is a business structure generally considered to be more investor-friendly.
Last month, Verily slashed an unspecified number of jobs and shut down its medical devices program. As part of these changes, the company will focus more on artificial intelligence and data.
Even if you only pay a little attention to the business world, its been hard to miss Oracles phenomenal week. The companys shares jumped nearly 40% on Wednesday, and CEO Larry Ellison briefly overtook Elon Musk as the worlds richest person (hes now essentially tied). Oracle also signed a staggering $300 billion deal with OpenAI for computing power over the next five years.
Even in the fast-moving world of AI, thats a lot in a short time. Investors cheered, but some Wall Street bulls are wondering if this is further inflating the AI bubbleand making a potential collapse all the more alarming.
Oracle’s rocket ride
Oracle shares spiked after the company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings Tuesday afternoon. It missed analyst expectations on earnings per share and revenue, but investors looked past that shortfall, thanks to booming cloud demand. Oracle said it has $455 billion in remaining performance obligations (that is, contracted revenue that has not yet been recognized), up 359% from a year ago. Wall Street was expecting that number to be closer to $180 billion.
By Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported the OpenAI deal, one of the largest cloud contracts ever signed. (It will require about as much power as 4 million homes.) The one-two punch gave Ellison the largest single-day jump in net worth ever recorded by Bloomberg, which tracks billionaire holdings.
Oracle’s rocket ride is not unlike the one Nvidia found itself on beginning in 2023 (a ride that is still going strong). But the high level of the stock is giving some observersand some insiderspause.
Are we in a phase where investors as a whole are overexcited about AI? My opinion is yes,” said Open AI founder Sam Altman last month. “Is AI the most important thing to happen in a very long time? My opinion is also yes.
Oracle shares were trading at nearly 50 times the companys 12-month forward earnings on Wednesday. (The stock was down 5% in midday trading Thursday, to $311, but remains well above pre-earnings levels.) Thats the highest multiple since the dot-com crash (when the forward projected earnings hit 120).
Still, Oracle has some solid footing. Its expected cloud revenue and the OpenAI deal do give those stock escalations some footing. Investors are betting on informed company forecasts rather than blind hope.
Nvidia, meanwhile, has seen share prices jump 390% in the past two years and double since April. It has a market cap of $4.3 trillion, but is heavily reliant on two unknown customers who made up 39% of its Q2 revenuea red flag for the bulls.
An AI bubble?
Talk of an AI bubble didnt start this week, of course. Some analysts have been sounding alarms for months.
In July, Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo Global Management, warned that AI stocks are even more overvalued than dot-com stocks were in 1999, putting the market at serious risk.
The difference between the IT bubble in the 1990s and the AI bubble today is that the top 10 companies in the S&P 500 today are more overvalued than they were in the 1990s, he wrote in a note to investors.
Put another way: Investors are betting so heavily on AI that the stock price of companies like Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, and others has become detached from their earnings.
Slok isnt alone. Alibaba Group chair Joe Tsai has warned that U.S. AI stocks are in a bubble; longtime tech executive (and former C3.ai CEO) Tom Siebel did too.
Part of what has them so nervous is the fact that the top five companies in the S&P 500 now hold 30% of the indexs wealth. Thats a higher share than during the dot-com era and well above the Nifty Fifty that dominated markets in the 1970s.
That concentration doesn’t clearly identify a bubble, but it does underline how dependent the market is on just a few companies that are all part of the same industry. If something goes wrong in AI, the ripple effects could be disastrous for the market.
Tariffs aren’t just bad for business and consumers: They will also increase the number of Americans living in poverty, according to new research.
An analysis out this week from The Budget Lab at Yale University found the Trump administration’s new 2025 tariff hikes will increase the number of Americans living in poverty by somewhere between 650,000 and 875,000 in 2026that’s 0.2% to 0.3% of the U.S. populationincluding some 150,000 to 375,000 children.
“Because tariffs directly reduce the purchasing power of low-income households (either by decreasing nominal incomes or by increasing prices), they also affect poverty,” the report said.
Yale researchers used the Official Poverty Measure, a standard metric for calculating poverty based on pre-tax income, and the Supplemental Poverty Measure, a more comprehensive measure which takes into account more information on household resources and the cost of living. They used data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
You can think of tariffs as indirect taxes, which increase prices, thereby decreasing the purchasing power and income of American households. That’s because tariff costs are often passed from businesses onto consumers. In fact, U.S. consumers absorbed 22% of tariff costs through June, and that number is expected to rise to 67% by October, according to an analysis from Goldman Sachs, CNN reported.
When Americans lose purchasing power (meaning they are not able to buy as much with the same income), households with the lowest income feel the most burden, and more end up falling below the poverty threshold. Lower-income families often use a bigger chunk of their earnings on living expenses than wealthier ones, making them more vulnerable to price shifts, CNN noted.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on whether Trump’s sweeping global tariffs are legal. The Budget Lab estimated consumers face an overall average effective tariff rate of 18.6%, the highest since 1933.
A battery plant co-owned by Hyundai Motor is facing a minimum delay of two to three months following an immigration raid last week, Hyundai’s CEO Jose Munoz said Thursday.
The Georgia plant, which is operated through a joint-venture between Hyundai and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, was at the center of the largest single-site enforcement operation in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s history.
Munoz, in his first public comments since the raid, said he was surprised when he heard the news and immediately inquired if Hyundai workers were involved. He said the company discovered that the workers at the center of the raid were mainly employed by suppliers of LG.
It is typical for an automotive battery plant to employ these workers as it’s getting off the ground, Munoz said.
For the construction phase of the plants, you need to get specialized people. There are a lot of skills and equipment that you cannot find in the United States,” Munoz said, on the sidelines of an automotive event in Detroit.
Nora Eckert, Reuters
