MAG 7 Voices: Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg Shape A Week Of AI Debate

• Meta unveiled several new AI and mixed-reality products at Meta Connect while facing renewed scrutiny over its massive capital-spending plans.
• Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft had relatively quiet weeks operationally but were represented at the Trump-Xi state dinner in Washington.
• Michael Burry expanded his short positions in Micron, Nebius and Palantir, adding to his bearish exposure to Nvidia and Tesla.

The Magnificent 7 (MAG 7) found itself at the intersection of geopolitics and the AI boom last week. Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) were represented at the Trump-Xi state dinner, while Jensen Huang defended AI spending, Meta (META) expanded its hardware ambitions and Michael Burry added to his bearish bets on AI-linked stocks.

Nvidia: Huang Defends AI Spending As Burry Adds To Short Bets

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered one of the week's strongest comments on AI safety, telling The New York Times on Wednesday that AI labs unable to contain their own unsafe experiments "should be shut down."

The comments marked a harder line than Huang's usual optimism about AI, although he continued to reject calls for an industry-wide slowdown. Huang stated that slowing development across the sector would punish responsible developers alongside companies taking greater risks.

He also pushed back on AI-doomsday forecasts, describing extinction-risk estimates from researchers including Geoffrey Hinton as "not grounded in science."

Huang was among the technology executives invited to Thursday's Trump-Xi state dinner, putting Nvidia at the center of a week that increasingly linked the AI industry with U.S.-China relations.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around NVDA stock remained in ‘bearish’ territory over the past week, alongside chatter at ‘low’ levels. 

Michael Burry didn't let up on his bearish thesis either. On Tuesday, he disclosed expanded short positions in Micron (MU), Nebius (NBIS), and Palantir (PLTR)— extending a bearish thesis that already includes Nvidia and Tesla (TSLA). Burry's latest disclosures came after Acer flagged rising memory supply, and he reiterated his warning about a possible "1987-type fall" in AI-related stocks.

Tesla: Musk Connects Grok, Tesla And China 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also had AI and China in focus last week. On Tuesday, Musk said Grok is now integrated into Tesla vehicles and can manage inboxes, calendars and documents. The integration further connects Tesla's products with Musk's xAI business and expands the role of AI software inside the company's vehicles.

Ahead of the Trump-Xi dinner, Musk also told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday that Xi Jinping has been a "great leader" under whom China has "prospered immensely." The comments came against the backdrop of Tesla's significant manufacturing and sales exposure to China.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around TSLA stock shifted to ‘neutral’ from ‘bearish’ territory over the past week, alongside chatter at ‘low’ levels. 

Burry's expanded shorts also touch Tesla directly, adding another bearish voice to the debate around the company's valuation and AI ambitions.

Meta: Zuckerberg Bets Bigger On AI Hardware

At Meta, Mark Zuckerberg used Meta Connect last week to unveil a new wave of hardware, including a $1,299.99 mixed-reality headset, third-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses, Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses and a new AI pendant called Muse Charm.

The hardware push also renewed scrutiny of Meta's spending. Fortune reported that the company's up-to-$145 billion 2026 capital expenditure guidance now exceeds the military budgets of every country except the U.S., China and Russia.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around META stock flipped to ‘bullish’ from ‘bearish’ territory over the past week, alongside chatter rose to ‘high’ from ‘normal’ levels.

Apple: Leadership Changes, But Cook Still Has A Washington Role 

Apple entered last week with a new leadership structure but an old face in Washington.

Tim Cook, now executive chairman after handing the CEO role to John Ternus on September 1, represented Apple at Thursday's Trump-Xi state dinner. The appearance underscores Cook's continued role in Apple's government and international relations even after stepping away from day-to-day operations.

Ternus has so far emphasized continuity. On Apple's second-quarter call, he pledged to preserve Cook's "financial discipline," while his first memo to employees as CEO described a "phenomenal" product pipeline.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around AAPL stock remained in ‘bearish’ territory over the past week and chatter dropped to ‘low’ from ‘normal’ levels. 

Alphabet & Microsoft: Big Tech At The Trump-Xi Dinner

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai kept a lower public profile last week, but was also among the confirmed guests at the Trump-Xi dinner. His presence put Alphabet alongside Apple, Nvidia and other major technology companies in the week's most visible display of the industry's role in U.S.-China relations.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was similarly quiet on the company's AI strategy during the week but joined Pichai and other technology leaders at the White House dinner.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around MSFT stock and GOOGL stock improved to ‘bullish’ from ‘neutral’ territory over the past week. The former saw chatter at ‘normal’ levels over the past week, while the latter saw message volume rising to ‘high’ from ‘normal’ levels.

Taken together, the week's developments showcase the increasingly wide range of views around Big Tech's AI push. Executives such as Huang continue to argue that development should move forward, while investors including Burry are increasingly questioning valuations and the sustainability of the spending cycle. 

Read also: Trump-Xi Talks May Bring Tariff Cuts, But AI Chips And Rare Earths Stay Off Table, Says Jefferies

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