Markets AI

Why C3.ai Stock Rose Again Today

The latest drama to unfold in the closely watched artificial intelligence (AI) space has apparently concluded. In what can be seen as a collective sigh of relief, numerous companies involved in the technology saw price bumps in their stocks Wednesday.

Among these was C3.ai (NYSE: AI), which rose for the second day in a row. Its share price crept up by 1%, a rate high enough to beat the S&P 500 index's 0.4% gain.

Altman fired, then hired, and hired again

That drama, as most people even vaguely aware of the AI industry know by now, was the dismissal and very quick rehiring of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Last Friday he was effectively fired by the company's board of directors and replaced in quick succession by two individuals. On Monday, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) hired him to lead a new AI unit at the big company, and the following day he was reinstated as OpenAI CEO.

So Altman's journey ended up being a circular one, leading to questions as to whether all the smoke and noise really achieved much of anything (save for a reconstituted OpenAI board with two new members).

We're sure to find out more about what occurred behind the scenes in this rather odd leadership tussle. For now it seems like it'll be business as usual at OpenAI.

Microsoft versus the minnows

For a minute it appeared the towering Microsoft, with its near-bottomless resources, was suddenly positioned to become an AI powerhouse, too; this is apparently not the case (although the tech giant has invested heavily in OpenAI). After the company announced Altman's hiring, some market players surely worried that smaller AI fish like C3.ai would be hard-pressed to compete against the giant.

10 stocks we like better than C3.ai
When our analyst team has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

They just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and C3.ai wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

See the 10 stocks

*Stock Advisor returns as of November 20, 2023

Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Microsoft. The Motley Fool recommends C3.ai. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

The Motley Fool
Founded in 1993 in Alexandria, VA., by brothers David and Tom Gardner, The Motley Fool is a multimedia financial-services company dedicated to building the world's greatest investment community. Reaching millions of people each month through its website, books, newspaper column, radio show, television appearances, and subscription newsletter services, The Motley Fool champions shareholder values and advocates tirelessly for the individual investor. The company's name was taken from Shakespeare, whose wise fools both instructed and amused, and could speak the truth to the king -- without getting their heads lopped off.
Visit Fool.com for more market news More articles by this source

Tags

Stocks Mentioned

Latest Articles

Data is currently not available