Markets Fall From Record Highs as Alphabet Reignites AI Spending Fears

Stocks looked set to slip on Tuesday after Google parent Alphabet said it would issue $80 billion in equity, giving investors another reason to fret about Big Tech companies’ artificial-intelligence spending plans. The search engine and cloud computing company said it would issue $80 billion of equity, including $10 billion of stock to Berkshire Hathaway at a discount as it funds its AI infrastructure buildout, reviving some worries about so-called hyperscalers’ planned spending sprees. The move “is a clear sign that the AI arms race is moving into a more capital-hungry phase,” said Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Matt Britzman, although he noted that the $80 billion figure was less than 2% of Alphabet's $4.6 trillion market capitalization.