AI Agents and the Software Crisis
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 19 2026
0mins
Should l Buy GOOGL?
Source: Barron's
Best Trade in 2026: The most profitable investment strategy in 2026 has been to buy semiconductor stocks while selling software companies.
Performance of Semiconductor Stocks: The iShares Semiconductor ETF has increased by 19% in 2026, following a 40% gain in 2025.
Struggles of Software Companies: In contrast, software companies have faced significant losses, with the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF down 22% this year.
Quarterly Decline: The software sector also experienced an 8% decline in the fourth quarter of the previous year.
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Analyst Views on GOOGL
Wall Street analysts forecast GOOGL stock price to rise
33 Analyst Rating
26 Buy
7 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 308.700
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
Current: 308.700
Low
305.00
Averages
374.25
High
400.00
About GOOGL
Alphabet Inc. is a holding company. The Company's segments include Google Services, Google Cloud, and Other Bets. The Google Services segment includes products and services such as ads, Android, Chrome, devices, Google Maps, Google Play, Search, and YouTube. The Google Cloud segment includes infrastructure and platform services, collaboration tools, and other services for enterprise customers. Its Other Bets segment is engaged in the sale of healthcare-related services and Internet services. Its Google Cloud provides enterprise-ready cloud services, including Google Cloud Platform and Google Workspace. Google Cloud Platform provides access to solutions such as artificial intelligence (AI) offerings, including its AI infrastructure, Vertex AI platform, and Gemini for Google Cloud; cybersecurity, and data and analytics. Google Workspace includes cloud-based communication and collaboration tools for enterprises, such as Calendar, Gmail, Docs, Drive, and Meet.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Significant Revenue Growth: In 2025, Alphabet's revenue increased by 15% year-over-year to $402.8 billion, with Google Cloud outperforming at a 34% revenue growth to $58.7 billion, indicating strong demand for enterprise AI infrastructure.
- Successful Gemini Application: The launch of Gemini 3 positions Google's AI assistant on par with OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude, with CEO Sundar Pichai reporting 750 million monthly active users, enhancing user engagement significantly.
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Volatility on Wall Street: The market remains volatile, prompting equity strategists to seek out resilient stocks that can withstand the current economic pressures.
See More
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Market Impact: The stock market experienced a decline due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, which led to a rise in oil prices.
Strategic Response: Equity strategists at CIBC Capital Markets are identifying stocks that may remain resilient in the current volatile market conditions.
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- Amazon's Operating Leverage: Amazon (AMZN), as the world's largest e-commerce and cloud computing leader, enhances fulfillment efficiency through its DeepFleet AI model, driving operational leverage in its e-commerce business, while AWS is also experiencing rapid growth, indicating a promising future.
- Meta's Advertising Innovation: Meta Platforms (META) utilizes AI to continuously optimize its ad recommendation algorithms, increasing user engagement and ad effectiveness, with market share expanding, especially on new platforms like WhatsApp and Threads, showcasing significant future growth potential.
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