Alphabet's market cap surpasses Apple's for first time since 2019

Core Insights - Alphabet's market capitalization surpassed Apple's for the first time since 2019, closing at $3.88 trillion compared to Apple's $3.84 trillion [2] - The shift in market cap reflects the divergent strategies of Alphabet and Apple in the artificial intelligence sector [3] Alphabet's Performance - Alphabet ended 2025 as a top performer on Wall Street, with shares jumping 65%, marking the company's sharpest rally since 2009 [4] - The company introduced Ironwood, a custom AI chip, and Gemini 3, both receiving positive reviews, contributing to its AI comeback [4] Demand and Strategy - CEO Sundar Pichai highlighted the company's response to increasing demand, noting that Google's cloud business signed more deals over $1 billion in 2025 than in the previous two years combined [5] - In contrast, Apple has been largely absent from the AI race, delaying the launch of its next-generation Siri AI assistant to 2026 [5][6] Market Outlook - Wall Street firm Raymond James downgraded Apple, indicating that gains will be challenging in 2026 [6]