Apple's Chip Chief Johny Srouji Contemplates Departure, Sparking Concerns for iPhone and Mac Silicon Future
Concerns Over Leadership Stability: Rumors about the potential departure of Johny Srouji, Apple's chip chief, have raised concerns regarding the company's leadership stability as it faces pressure to enhance its AI initiatives.
Executive Changes at Apple: The company is experiencing a wave of executive changes, including the retirement of COO Jeff Williams and the departure of AI chief John Giannandrea, which could impact its strategic direction.
Focus on CEO Succession: Apple is reportedly preparing for a leadership transition, with discussions about a successor to CEO Tim Cook, who has led the company since 2011, highlighting the need for new leadership to stay competitive.
Investor Calls for Strategic Partnerships: Investor Ross Gerber has suggested that Apple should consider a strategic partnership with Google AI, including potentially replacing Siri with Google's Gemini AI, to adapt to the evolving tech landscape.
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- Fashion Show Highlights: At Milan Fashion Week, Prada showcased its Fall/Winter 2026 collection featuring embroidered satin dresses, sheer skirts, and wool sweaters, emphasizing rich layering and diverse design concepts that garnered significant attention in the fashion industry.
- Celebrity Presence: Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, and his wife Priscilla Chan attended the front row, fueling speculation about a potential collaboration between Prada and Meta for smart glasses, highlighting the intersection of fashion and technology.
- Model Selection: Designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons opted for only 15 models to walk the runway, each showcasing multiple looks to emphasize layering, reflecting the multifaceted identities of women and enhancing the brand's feminist narrative.
- Future Collaboration Potential: Although no decision has been made, exploratory talks between Prada and Franco-Italian eyewear maker EssilorLuxottica indicate a strategic interest in the smart glasses market, potentially paving the way for future product innovations.
- Preliminary Injunction: A federal judge in Virginia temporarily blocked the one-hour daily social media limit for minors under 16, marking an early victory for major tech platforms and their industry allies.
- First Amendment Controversy: The judge stated that the law likely violates the First Amendment, asserting that the state lacks the authority to restrict minors' access to constitutionally protected speech without parental intervention.
- Overly Broad Law: The judge noted that the law could prevent minors from watching church services exceeding one hour, highlighting its over-breadth and its impact on minors' ability to access information online.
- National Debate: The case has garnered significant attention, with over two dozen states backing similar legislative efforts, while countries like France, Spain, and Australia are also considering or implementing restrictions on social media use for those under 16.
- Concerns Over Software Stocks: The worries regarding software stocks, referred to as the "SaaSpocalypse," have intensified recently.
- Impact on Tech Sector: These concerns have spread beyond software to affect the broader tech sector, including semiconductor and hardware companies.
- Complete Exit: Sphera Management Technology Funds Ltd fully sold its 15,000 shares of Check Point Software Technologies in Q4 2025, with a trade value of $3.10 million, resulting in a total position valuation drop to zero, indicating a pessimistic outlook on the stock's future performance.
- Position Change: Following this transaction, Check Point comprised only 1.0% of Sphera's AUM, and the complete exit suggests a loss of confidence in the stock, likely due to increasing competition in the cybersecurity sector and uncertainties brought by AI.
- Poor Market Performance: As of February 17, 2026, Check Point's share price stood at $165.02, down 25.1% over the past year, significantly underperforming the S&P 500 by 37.61 percentage points, reflecting market concerns regarding its growth prospects.
- Financial Metrics Analysis: Check Point's revenue grew by only 6% in 2025, lagging behind peers like CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks, and despite positive net income, its modest 17 P/E ratio failed to drive a stock recovery, potentially prompting Sphera to reallocate its capital elsewhere.
- Investor Sell-Off Strategy: Steve Weiss revealed he sold shares of Nvidia and Amazon, expressing concerns over increasing competition, although he believes Nvidia has long-term upside potential, with the stock currently stuck in the $180 to $190 range.
- Amazon Outlook Concerns: While Weiss thinks Amazon's capital expenditure plans are sound and will yield good returns, he is worried about the potential impact of AI on the labor market, contributing to a more than 9% decline in Amazon's stock year-to-date.
- Netflix Investment Return: Following the abandonment of the Warner Bros Discovery acquisition, Weiss increased his stake in Netflix, believing this will allow the company to invest more in its own content, leading to a nearly 22% surge in Netflix shares.
- Apple and Microsoft Purchases: Kevin Simpson bought shares of Apple and Microsoft, believing Apple is insulated from AI capex fears due to lower investments and potential upside from its partnership with Google, while Microsoft is seen as oversold with a nearly 19% decline year-to-date.
- Stock Decline: Nvidia's shares fell 6% this week, marking the sharpest decline since November, reflecting market concerns about slowing growth, particularly as capital expenditures among tech giants are expected to peak soon.
- Increased Competition: OpenAI announced it will utilize 2 gigawatts of Amazon's Trainium AI chips, indicating a reduced reliance on Nvidia's GPUs, while Meta is also exploring alternatives from AMD and Google, which could impact Nvidia's market share.
- Strong Earnings but Dim Outlook: Despite Nvidia reporting a 73% year-over-year growth in its latest earnings and forecasting a 77% growth for the current quarter, analysts predict a significant slowdown in growth rates over the next three years, dropping to 30%, 13%, and 14% respectively.
- Investor Sentiment Wavers: While some analysts view the current stock dip as a buying opportunity, overall market sentiment remains cautious, with investors taking a wait-and-see approach regarding Nvidia's future performance amid intensifying competition.











