$AI


The U.S. stock market witnessed a dramatic downturn Monday as the rise of DeepSeek, a Chinese generative AI startup, sent ripples through the tech sector. Nvidia, the leader in AI-related hardware, was among the hardest hit, resulting in significant losses for some of the wealthiest individuals in the world, including Nvidia’s CEO, Jensen Huang.
Key Developments
Nvidia shares plunged by 16%, wiping out more than $500 billion in market capitalization—a record-breaking loss for the company. This sharp decline caused Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO and largest individual shareholder, to lose $19.8 billion, dropping his net worth from $124.4 billion to $104.6 billion. As a result, Huang slipped from 10th to 17th place on Forbes’ real-time billionaire rankings, trailing prominent figures such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Walmart heirs Rob Walton, Jim Walton, and Alice Walton.
Other tech leaders also suffered substantial losses. Oracle chairman Larry Ellison saw his wealth decrease by $24.9 billion, placing him behind Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg as the world's third-richest person. Oracle’s stock fell 13%, contributing to Ellison’s staggering loss.
DeepSeek’s breakthrough—a generative AI model developed at a fraction of the cost compared to its American counterparts—sent shockwaves through the market. Its reported use of just $5.6 million in Nvidia GPUs raised questions about the future demand for high-cost hardware, casting doubt on the extravagant spending by tech giants like OpenAI and Google.
Biggest Losers as of 12:45 p.m. EST
Larry Ellison (Oracle): -$24.9 billion
Jensen Huang (Nvidia): -$19.8 billion
Michael Dell (Dell): -$12.4 billion
Elon Musk (Tesla): -$5.3 billion
Larry Page (Google): -$4.9 billion
Sergey Brin (Google): -$4.6 billion
Andreas von Bechtolsheim (Google): -$4.6 billion
Thomas Peterffy (Interactive Brokers): -$3.8 billion
Steve Ballmer (Microsoft): -$3.7 billion
Henry Samueli (Broadcom): -$3.7 billion
Notable Exceptions: Tech Giants Who Gained
While the broader market struggled, a few tech leaders bucked the trend. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gained over $2 billion as Meta’s shares hit an all-time high ahead of its earnings report. Meanwhile, Apple emerged as the day’s standout performer, with its shares rising 3%. This increase added $19 million to the net worth of Apple CEO Tim Cook and boosted Laurene Powell Jobs, the philanthropist widow of Steve Jobs, by $237 million. Apple’s more cautious approach to AI spending likely insulated it from the broader selloff impacting AI-heavy companies.
Market Context and Broader Implications
The U.S. stock market faced widespread losses Monday, with the S&P 500 down 2% and the Nasdaq falling 3%. The selloff stemmed largely from the declines in Big Tech stocks like Nvidia, which have been heavily reliant on the generative AI boom. DeepSeek’s ability to develop a competitive AI model using minimal resources has raised concerns about the future demand for high-cost GPUs and the lofty valuations of American tech firms.
Despite some skepticism over DeepSeek’s reported development costs, its rise underscores the growing competition in the AI space and the disruptive potential of cost-efficient innovation. This new reality could reshape the generative AI landscape, challenging the dominance of U.S.-based leaders like Nvidia and OpenAI.
Conclusion: The DeepSeek-driven market disruption highlights the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the tech industry. While significant losses were felt by key players, the rise of a Chinese competitor also signals a new era of innovation that could reshape the future of AI and its associated markets.
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