M Idea The Rowdy Robot: Top 10 Takeaways from the 'Godfather' of AVs I had the honor of hosting a keynote fireside discussion with Sebastian Thrun at the 24th Annual Morgan Stanley Asia Pacific Summit in Singapore. When Ravi Shanker and I launched the autonomous vehicle research effort at Morgan Stanley back in 2012, Sebastian Thrun was already a leading light, having won the DARPA Grand Challenge for driverless cars in 2005. Sebastian is a pioneer in robotics, driverless vehicles and artificial intelligenc ...

Core Viewpoint - Bill Ackman sold a significant portion of his stake in Alphabet Class A shares, which has raised eyebrows among analysts who believe it was a mistake given the stock's strong performance and bullish outlook from Wall Street [2][5][10]. Group 1: Ackman's Investment Actions - In Q3 2025, Ackman did not initiate any new positions or increase existing holdings, but reduced stakes in four stocks, including a notable sale of over 519,000 shares of Alphabet Class A, decreasing his position by approximately 9.7% [2][4]. - Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square, still maintains a substantial investment in Alphabet, holding over 11 million shares valued at around $3.3 billion [10]. Group 2: Wall Street's Perspective on Alphabet - A survey by S&P Global revealed that none of the 66 analysts covering Alphabet recommended selling the stock, with 12 analysts rating it as a "strong buy" and 45 assigning a "buy" rating [7][8]. - Alphabet reported impressive Q3 results, with revenue of $102.3 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase, and earnings rising 33% to approximately $35 billion [8]. Group 3: Alphabet's AI and Future Prospects - Alphabet's advancements in AI, particularly with Google Search and the Gemini large language model, have contributed to its strong market position, with over 650 million monthly active users for Gemini [9][11]. - The launch of Google Gemini 3.0 is expected to enhance Google Cloud's growth, while the Waymo unit is expanding its autonomous ride-hailing services [11][12]. - Alphabet's Google Quantum AI has achieved significant milestones in quantum computing, indicating potential for future applications [12].

Core Viewpoint - Warren Buffett has identified Alphabet as a new favorite stock in the quantum computing sector, alongside his existing investment in Amazon, indicating a strategic shift in Berkshire Hathaway's portfolio towards companies involved in advanced technologies [1][4][2]. Company Investments - Berkshire Hathaway has increased its investment in Alphabet by acquiring over 17.8 million Class A shares, valued at more than $5 billion, which is more than double its position in Amazon [4]. - Amazon Web Services (AWS) is developing a quantum computing chip called Ocelot, aimed at reducing costs related to quantum error correction, and offers cloud-based quantum computing services through its Amazon Braket platform [3]. Quantum Computing Advancements - Alphabet's Google Quantum AI is a leader in quantum computing, having achieved significant milestones, including a calculation that would take traditional supercomputers 10,000 years to complete in just 200 seconds [5]. - Google Quantum AI has also demonstrated a prototype of a logical qubit and advancements in quantum error correction, showcasing its potential in the quantum computing field [5]. Advertising Business Strength - Alphabet's advertising business generated $74.2 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2025, highlighting its robust performance and attractiveness to investors [7]. - Buffett's investment in Alphabet is likely driven more by its strong advertising business rather than solely its quantum computing initiatives [6][8]. Future Prospects - The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into Alphabet's operations, particularly in Google search and Google Cloud, is expected to enhance its market position [9][10]. - Alphabet's Waymo, a leader in the autonomous ride-hailing market, is also seen as a promising area for future growth [10]. - Quantum computing is anticipated to present significant opportunities for Alphabet in the long term, reinforcing its status as a key player in the technology sector [11].

However, Google's financials tell an equally compelling story and reflect its tech dominance. For the last two years, the company's quarterly earnings have surpassed Street expectations consecutively. Over the longer period of 10 years, Google has grown its revenue and earnings at impressive CAGRs of 18.31% and 23.43%, respectively.Google's relevance and criticality in the global tech space warrant scant delving into. From the aforementioned YouTube to its major presence in cloud services with Google Cloud ...

Warren Buffett has backed a winner in Alphabet, and there's a bigger market risk than a crash in AI stocks, Tom Russo says. The veteran investor and managing member of Gardner Russo & Quinn is well placed to weigh in. His firm's top two holdings at the end of September were a $1.1 billion stake in Alphabet and a $1.8 billion stake in Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, together accounting for 31% of its $9.3 billion US stock portfolio, regulatory filings show.Berkshire purchased 17.8 million shares in Google's p ...

Core Insights - Tesla has received a permit to operate a ride-hailing service in Arizona, marking a significant step in its autonomous vehicle strategy [1] - The company aims to launch a commercial robotaxi service in Phoenix and other U.S. cities by the end of 2026, with plans to remove human safety drivers from its cars in Austin before the year ends [3] - Competitors like Waymo and Baidu are currently leading the robotaxi market, with Waymo operating over 400 autonomous vehicles and having completed more than 10 million driverless trips [4][5] Group 1: Tesla's Developments - Tesla applied for a "transportation network company" permit on November 13 and received approval shortly after [1] - The company has initiated a robotaxi pilot in Austin, Texas, and is conducting autonomous vehicle testing in Phoenix [2] - Tesla's goal is to operate a commercial robotaxi service in multiple U.S. cities by the end of 2026 [3] Group 2: Competitive Landscape - Waymo operates a significant commercial robotaxi service in Phoenix with at least 400 autonomous vehicles [4] - Baidu's Apollo Go service reported 3.1 million fully driverless rides in Q3 2025, showing a year-over-year growth of 212% [5] - Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, has made ambitious claims about achieving full autonomy, but the company has yet to meet its previous goals [5][6]

Mark Wilson / Getty Images Quick Read Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) purchased a $4.9B stake in Alphabet last quarter. Alphabet trades at 28.1 times trailing P/E and 25.0 times forward P/E. Waymo’s autonomous technology leads competitors in the emerging robotaxi market. If you’re thinking about retiring or know someone who is, there are three quick questions causing many Americans to realize they can retire earlier than expected. take 5 minutes to learn more here Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway ...

Berkshire Hathaway is spreading its wings into new Magnificent Seven stocks.Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B 1.12%)(BRK.A 1.11%) continue to sell Apple stock, increasing the company's cash position to close to $400 billion. One stock Berkshire is buying is Alphabet (GOOG +3.11%)(GOOGL +3.13%). The technology giant and leading artificial intelligence (AI) stock has been a favorite of Buffett and the team for years, although they have never bought the stock. That is, until last quarter, when Berks ...

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk on Sunday said that the EV giant held back on its AI training efforts as it wasn't a hurdle in the development of its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology in the past.Tesla Customers Paying For Inference Compute CapexTaking to the social media platform X on Sunday, investment firm Atreides Management's investor Gavin Baker responded to investor Jim Chanos' criticism of Tesla and its spending on AI.Baker highlighted that Tesla customers were effectively paying for inferen ...

李彦宏在百度世界大会上透露的数据，截至10月底其周订单量突破25万单，累计订单达到1700万。 这一成绩稳居全球Robotaxi订单榜首。 Robotaxi普及加速，不仅意味着无人驾驶技术可行，其真实进入交通系统后，将更深远地影响"以交通出行为基础而构建的 现实物理世界。" 大模型如何连接现实？ AI 大模型与现实世界的融合，最具代表性的落地场景可能就是无人驾驶。以 Robotaxi 为代表，便是这样一个 由AI大模型 驱动、无人驾驶汽车为物理连接的体系，共同构建出了未来城市交通的雏形。 萝卜快跑已经成为全球Robotaxi商业化落地的领先者。 新技术的价值往往在"技术与现实世界结合"之后才真正爆发。 当年互联网的发展路径就是如此，它的最大价值不在于信息传播的便捷，而在于对各行各业进行的效率重构。 同样的道理，AI大模型的真正潜力，也离不开与现实物理世界的深度连接。 这正是自AI大模型兴起以来，业界始终最为关注的问题。 13日上午，百度创始人李彦宏在百度世界大会上提出一个全新的观点——"内化AI能力"，让智能成为生产力。 李彦宏表示，AI正在从"智能涌现"走向"效果涌现"。 "过去一年模型能力逐步走出聊天机器 ...