The world’s most ⁠valuable ⁠technology stocks have ⁠suffered sharp declines in market value this ​year after years of outsized gains, as investors question ‌whether heavy spending on AI ‌will generate sufficient returns to justify the ⁠lofty ⁠valuations. Microsoft shares have fallen about 17% year-to-date on concerns ​over risks to its AI business and growing competition from Google’s latest Gemini model and Anthropic’s Claude Cowork ​AI agent, wiping roughly $613 billion off

By ELI TAN and CECILIA KANG Instagram’s chief executive said last week that social media was not “clinically addictive,” disputing claims that the platform prioritized making money over the mental health of young users in a landmark tech addiction case. The CEO, Adam Mosseri, described Instagram, which is owned by Meta, as a steward of strong safety protocols for teenagers. Social media could cause some harm, he said, but the company is careful to test features used by young

Elon Musk boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, March 21, 2025. Musk told employees at xAI, his artificial intelligence company, on Tuesday evening, Feb. 10, 2026, that the company needed a factory on the moon to build AI satellites and a massive catapult to launch them into space. (Eric Lee/The New York Times) By KATE CONGER and RYAN MAC Elon Musk told employees at xAI, his artificial intelligence company, last week evening that the company needed a factory

The S&P 500 closed barely higher on ⁠Friday, ⁠supported by cooling inflation data, but the Nasdaq ⁠ended lower as heavyweight technology and communications services shares lost ground on nagging fears of disruption by artificial intelligence.  The ​S&P 500, the Nasdaq and the Dow all declined for the week with technology stocks on a roller-coaster ride due to uncertainty about the extent to which profits ‌could be disrupted due to AI competition and ‌the hefty spending needed

A grocery shopper in Seattle on Dec. 29. 2025. Employers added 130,000 jobs in January, the Labor Department reported on Feb. 11, in a report delayed by a short government shutdown. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3 percent, from 4.4 percent a month earlier. (Ruth Fremson/The New York Times) By LYDIA DePILLIS The U.S. economy put in a strong showing at the start of 2026, following a year of disruptions that depressed both the demand for labor and its supply. Employers added 1

Wall Street’s main indexes reversed sharply on ⁠Thursday ⁠as investors intensified their selloff of technology shares and ⁠fled transport stocks amid worries about artificial intelligence disruption, while they digested the latest labor market data and awaited ​a key inflation report. After starting the day higher, equity indexes turned negative in morning trading and losses deepened as investors sought safer investments.  At a time when investors have been ‌stressed out abou

A Ford F-150 Lightning charging cable connected to the truck owned by John and Rachelle Reigard, in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., July 10, 2023. Ford Motor reported a big loss for 2025 because of its troubled electric vehicle division, which it has significantly scaled back. (Brett Carlsen/The New York Times) By NEAL E. BOUDETTE A few years ago, Ford Motor jumped out ahead of other established automakers by quickly rolling out three electric vehicles that it hoped would help it sell mor

Neal Mohan, the CEO of YouTube in Alexandria, Va. on Sept. 16, 2024. YouTube argued on Feb. 10, 2026, that it was not social media and was not addictive, on the second day of opening statements in a landmark social media addiction trial. (Pete Marovich/The New York Times) By ELI TAN and CECILIA KANG YouTube argued earlier this week that it was not social media and was not addictive, on the second day of opening statements in a landmark social media addiction trial. YouTube, i