In the third quarter of 2025, activist investor Dan Loeb’s Third Point LLC undertook significant modifications to its equity portfolio, notably intensifying stakes in pivotal technology companies driving artificial intelligence (AI) advancements. Examination of these portfolio adjustments as of September 30, 2025, reveals an increased commitment to a subset of prominent U.S. technology firms often referred to as the Magnificent Seven, with Microsoft Corporation, Meta Platforms, and Nvidia being key recipients of augmented investment.
Microsoft's Substantial Stake Increase Reflects AI and Cloud Confidence
Third Point elevated its holding in Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) by a substantial 175%, acquiring approximately 1.1 million shares by the end of the third quarter. This increase aligns with Microsoft's recent financial results, characterized by accelerating earnings propelled by robust growth in cloud computing services and AI-related initiatives.
Microsoft's fiscal performance in the latter half of 2025 demonstrates consistent outperformance relative to consensus expectations. The company registered earnings beats for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025 as well as the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, with momentum primarily derived from AI and cloud service expansions.
Adding to this trajectory, in October 2025, Microsoft formalized a definitive agreement with OpenAI to facilitate the establishment of a public benefit corporation (PBC). As part of the recapitalization, Microsoft is set to hold an approximate 27% stake in OpenAI Group PBC, which carries a valuation near $135 billion.
Industry analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush projects that Microsoft may soon join peer Nvidia in achieving a market capitalization exceeding $5 trillion, underscoring fiscal year 2026 as a pivotal growth phase for the company’s AI segment. Nevertheless, stock performance metrics show Microsoft’s shares declined marginally by 0.47% over the last 12 months, underperforming the iShares U.S. Technology ETF (NYSE: IYW), which appreciated roughly 18.88%. Additionally, Microsoft's stock underperformed relative to Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL), which experienced a year-to-date decrease of approximately 5.61%, indicating variable market reception within tech peers.
Meta Platforms Benefits from AI Innovations and Data Center Investments
Alongside Microsoft, Third Point increased its stake in Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ: META) by 47%, holding roughly 220,000 shares at the end of September 2025. Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg has highlighted the company’s focus on augmented reality and smart glasses, describing these efforts as potential future profit drivers.
Meta has committed to investing upwards of $600 billion in the U.S. by 2028, primarily aimed at advancing AI technologies, expanding data center capabilities, and enhancing workforce proficiency. This investment strategy aligns with Meta’s broader vision of delivering “personal superintelligence” — an ambition to elevate user experience through AI.
Specifically, Meta disclosed plans to allocate more than $1 billion toward the development of a Wisconsin-based data center dedicated to supporting artificial intelligence operations. AI advancements are reportedly enhancing Meta’s ability to deliver more relevant content to users, thereby increasing engagement durations and potential monetization pathways.
Over the past year, Meta's stock price has declined by approximately 1.69%, trailing the Shares Global Communication Services ETF (NYSE: IXP), which gained around 19.60%. Comparisons with other industry leaders such as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) and Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIDU) reveal that the latter companies posted more pronounced stock gains in 2025, rising roughly 65.54% and 95.52%, respectively.
Nvidia Sees Sustained Demand for AI Hardware and Infrastructure Expansion
Third Point also moderately boosted its holding in Nvidia Corporation, raising its position to approximately 2.85 million shares from 2.8 million in the previous quarter. Nvidia's third-quarter earnings surpassed analyst expectations, with forward-looking revenue projections for the fourth quarter also exceeding consensus.
Nvidia highlighted persistent strong demand for its latest AI chipsets, forecasting that cumulative revenue from its Blackwell and Rubin platforms could surpass the previously set target of $500 billion through 2026. The GB300 platform, specifically, is anticipated to command a significant share of the AI server market in 2026, estimated at 70% to 80% of global AI server rack shipments. Furthermore, the Vera Rubin 200 platform is projected to achieve wider adoption following the third quarter.
The company is expanding its geographic reach into the Middle East through partnerships, including collaboration with HUMAIN, an entity supported by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. This initiative aims to expedite sovereign AI infrastructure development in both Saudi Arabia and the United States.
In addition to hardware, Nvidia invested $150 million in Baseten, a fast-growing AI infrastructure startup, indicating a strategic move to strengthen its AI ecosystem presence. Notably, regulatory developments include the Trump administration's formal approval for Nvidia to sell its H200 AI chips to China.
Despite these operational successes, Nvidia's stock increased by approximately 24.55% over the past year, a slightly less robust appreciation compared to the VanEck Fabless Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ: SMHX), which gained about 25.60%, and the Strive U.S. Semiconductor ETF (NYSE: SHOC), which rose roughly 51.12%. Peer comparisons show Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE: TSM) posting gains of around 36.48% and 46.11%, respectively.
Amazon Maintains Cloud Leadership with Modest Stake Growth
Within its technology holdings, Third Point increased its stake in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) to approximately 2.81 million shares at the close of Q3 2025, up from 2.71 million in Q2 and 2.35 million in Q1. Amazon's third-quarter earnings exceeded expectations, bolstered by a strong outlook for the fourth quarter.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company's cloud segment, reported sales growth of 20% year-over-year in Q3 2025. The company noted significant advancement on various AI-enabled platforms throughout the quarter and secured new AWS contracts with several prominent corporations, signaling sustained demand for cloud services.
Despite operational highlights, Amazon's stock price declined by approximately 1.58% over the past year. This performance lagged behind the ProShares Online Retail ETF (NYSE: ONLN), which gained about 28.71%, and the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF (NYSE: XLY), which increased roughly 5.55%. Relative to close competitors Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) and PDD Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: PDD), Amazon's share price growth was slower, with Alibaba advancing 95.22% and PDD rising 2.76% during the same period.
These portfolio adjustments by Third Point LLC underscore a strategic focus on technology companies that are capitalizing on artificial intelligence and cloud computing trends, despite experiencing varied reactions in market valuations. The fund’s commitments to Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, and Amazon reflect confidence in the transformative potential of AI across software, hardware, and cloud infrastructure markets, even as short-term stock performance and sector comparisons exhibit a complex landscape of competitive positioning.