The AI trade may be back. Invidia, back above $3 trillion in market cap. Palantir up 10% this week.

Semis with new Gulf wind at their backs. And today, AI startup Databricks announcing a $1 billion deal to buy cloud-based database company, Neon.

Dear Troosa digs in for today's tech check. Hi, Dee. Hey, good morning, Courtney. So in the private markets,

the AI trade, it never really went anywhere. And now Silicon Valley Darling, Databrinks,

it is once again flexing with another billion dollar acquisition. This is its third in just a few

years and really a signal that it's not just building a product, but consolidating an entire

platform. I spoke exclusively to Databricks co-founder and CEO Ali Gotsu this morning.

He said that the pace of their M&A is not going to slow down,

and he argued that it's easier to move while still being a private company.

I actually think that as a private company, maybe we can take more long-term decisions

and think through that this acquisition makes sense for our long-term decisions and think through this acquisition makes

sense for our long-term strategy. I've seen my peers in public company. They're sort of so obsessed

with what's happening with the stock price every day. We don't have to worry about that. So I think

this is perfect for us. And I should say also, everybody sees the upside in the Databit stock.

You know, all the investors, all the Neon team, everybody sort of wanted stock in Databricks.

They didn't want to have cash.

They wanted equity, not cash, kind of telling you how popular Databricks is in the private markets.

But, you know, the startup's buying spree, it also raises the competition for public AI companies

that competes with like Snowflake and Palantir

that haven't been quite as aggressive on the acquisition front. I also asked Godsey about the

massive AI deals coming out of the Middle East this week and whether that could be the next

catalyst for the trade at large.

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