The Man Who Built the Apple Store Never Tried to Sell You Anything

Ron Johnson, creator of the Apple Store, discusses how Apple's retail success stems from a philosophy of serving customers through love and relationships rather than transactional selling. He shares insights on Steve Jobs' vision, the transition to new CEO John Ternus, and lessons from his career at Target, Apple, and JCPenney, emphasizing that Apple's strength lies in innovation, customer loyalty, and maintaining core values rather than pursuing rapid change.

10/15/2026, 1:26 PM • The Motley Fool

Meta's Muse Agent Is a Massive Hit. I'm Still Not Sold on Meta Stock.

While Meta's Muse AI agent has achieved early success with 3 million weekly users and top App Store ranking, analyst Chris Neiger remains skeptical about its ability to justify Meta's $145 billion AI infrastructure spending. The subscription model won't offset massive AI costs, competition is intensifying from rivals like Apple and OpenAI, and Meta lacks enterprise products to generate sufficient revenue like Microsoft and Alphabet do.

10/15/2026, 10:00 AM • The Motley Fool

Applied Materials vs. Broadcom: Which Tech Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?

The article compares two AI infrastructure leaders: Applied Materials, which manufactures semiconductor equipment with steady 4.4% revenue growth and a 24.7% net margin, and Broadcom, which designs specialized chips and software with impressive 23.9% revenue growth and 36.2% net margin. While Broadcom has outperformed significantly over the past decade, the author favors Applied Materials for 2026, citing its more reasonable valuation and greater growth potential given Broadcom's larger market cap and proximity to a growth ceiling.

10/15/2026, 9:05 AM • The Motley Fool

Intel vs. Qualcomm: Which Tech Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?

Intel is undergoing a massive foundry business transformation to compete in AI chip manufacturing, but faces significant losses, negative free cash flow, and suspended dividends. Qualcomm maintains strong profitability with 12.5% net margins and robust free cash flow of $12.8 billion, while expanding in 5G, automotive, and computing markets. Despite Intel's higher 5-year performance, the author recommends Qualcomm as the better buy due to superior financial metrics and lower valuation, though suggests an S&P 500 ETF as the optimal choice.

10/15/2026, 8:37 AM • The Motley Fool

Breakfast News: Chips Are Hot, Phones Are Not

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) reported its sixth consecutive record profit with strong margins despite ramping up 2-nanometer production. However, broader AI stock selloffs impacted chip stocks as concerns about valuation and AI credit emerged. Rocket Lab delayed its Neutron rocket to 2027, while smartphone shipments declined 22% year-over-year as AI data centers consume memory supply, driving up phone prices and delaying consumer purchases.

10/15/2026, 7:30 AM • The Motley Fool

History Says Berkshire Hathaway Stock Holds Up When the Market Falls: It Beat the S&P 500 in 11 of 13 Down Years

Berkshire Hathaway has outperformed the S&P 500 in 11 of 13 down market years since 1965, demonstrating resilience during market downturns. The company's diversified business portfolio, substantial cash reserves ($365.5 billion), and disciplined investment approach provide protection against market volatility, though it has underperformed in 2026 with only 3% gains versus the S&P 500's 14% rise.

10/15/2026, 6:50 AM • The Motley Fool

Is PayPal Stock a Buy at Less Than 10 Times Next Year's Earnings Guidance?

PayPal stock has declined over 80% from its 2021 peak due to increased competition from alternatives like Stripe, Wise, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. However, the article argues the stock is undervalued, trading at less than 10x forward earnings with a 13% net margin, 439 million active accounts, and modest but consistent growth. While PayPal's best growth days are behind it, the company continues to demonstrate resilience and profitability through stock buybacks and customer retention.

10/15/2026, 6:30 AM • The Motley Fool

Apple Could Dominate the Agentic AI Market With Siri. Just Not This Siri.

Apple's latest Siri update lags behind Meta's Muse app in autonomous AI capabilities. While Apple has a trust advantage over Meta, the company risks losing hardware sales if it fails to develop competitive agentic AI features. Consumers increasingly expect AI agents that can autonomously complete tasks like booking flights and shopping, and premium iPhone prices may not justify inferior AI capabilities.

10/15/2026, 4:45 AM • The Motley Fool

Can Apple Overtake Nvidia as the World's Largest Company in 2027?

The article argues that Nvidia will likely remain the world's largest company by market cap in 2027, despite Apple closing the valuation gap. Nvidia is expected to deliver 70% revenue growth next year and trades at a reasonable 14x forward earnings, while Apple's 16% growth is priced at a premium 31x earnings. The author contends that if Nvidia executes as expected, the stock could double, opening a commanding lead over Apple.

10/15/2026, 3:30 AM • The Motley Fool

Invesco QQQ Doesn't Own a Single Bank, and That's Not the Only Thing the Nasdaq-100 Leaves Out

The Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), which tracks the Nasdaq-100 index, excludes all financial companies and any stocks not primarily listed on Nasdaq. This means major banks like JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo, as well as NYSE-listed companies like Berkshire Hathaway, Visa, and Oracle, are absent from the fund. Despite missing the entire financial sector (11.5% of the S&P 500), QQQ has delivered superior long-term returns of 21% annually over 10 years compared to 13% for financial sector funds, though it underperformed in certain years like 2022 and 2024.

10/14/2026, 7:23 PM • The Motley Fool

Broadcom vs. Marvell Technology: Which Technology Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?

Broadcom and Marvell Technology are compared as semiconductor investments in the AI-driven data center market. Broadcom, a diversified infrastructure giant with $1.7T market cap, offers lower valuation multiples and locked-in multi-year revenue commitments from major tech companies. Marvell, a smaller pure-play data infrastructure specialist with $236B market cap, shows faster growth (42% YoY) but higher valuation and customer concentration risks. The article recommends Broadcom for its superior forward visibility and expanding AI revenue base.

10/14/2026, 6:02 PM • The Motley Fool

Here's What a $10,000 Investment in Apple Stock Could Be Worth in 5 Years

Apple is a strong compounding business with a loyal ecosystem and high-margin services segment, but its stock valuation has expanded significantly to a P/E of ~40, well above historical levels. Analysts project EPS growth to $16.63 by fiscal 2031, but the article suggests the stock could trade between $330-$500 in 5 years (3% decline to 47% gain), with likely underperformance versus the market due to valuation concerns.

10/14/2026, 5:02 PM • The Motley Fool

Microsoft Just Unveiled a Brand-New AI Chip. Could It Be the "Nvidia Killer" Everyone's Been Looking For?

Microsoft unveiled its Maia 300 AI chip, claiming 40% better token processing per megawatt than GPUs. Rather than competing on raw power where Nvidia dominates, Microsoft is targeting cost efficiency for AI inference workloads. The chip signals a shift in the AI industry from pure performance competition toward optimizing economics and cost-per-token delivery, though Nvidia's high-end processors remain critical to Microsoft's AI strategy.

10/14/2026, 4:57 PM • The Motley Fool

Musings About the Agentic Future

Meta's Muse app has become a breakout hit, ranking #1 across app stores and driving Meta's stock up 9%. The agentic AI shopping assistant is disrupting traditional e-commerce by allowing users to shop across multiple retailers. While Amazon has blocked Muse, companies like Shopify, PayPal, and Expedia are partnering with it. Experts debate whether this represents a pivotal moment or slow commoditization of AI technology, with potential winners emerging in both consumer and B2B sectors, particularly niche companies like AAR Corp that integrate agentic AI into enterprise systems.

10/14/2026, 4:19 PM • The Motley Fool

If a Stock Market Crash Is Coming, Here's What Warren Buffett Would Do to Stay Ahead

Warren Buffett's investment strategy offers lessons for navigating a potentially overheated stock market. With AI stocks trading at extreme valuations similar to the dot-com bubble, Buffett advocates for stable, diversified investments and maintaining cash reserves rather than chasing speculative growth. His portfolio emphasizes consumer-focused tech giants and utility providers over pure-play AI chipmakers.

10/14/2026, 1:17 PM • The Motley Fool