Becker Business Podcast Episode Summary

Episode Title: NVIDIA’s Surge, AI Stock Performance, and Private Equity Struggles
Host: Scott Becker
Date: September 4, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Scott Becker provides a concise update on the latest business news, focusing on the dramatic surge of AI-related stocks—most notably NVIDIA—and the underperformance of private equity (PE) firms. The episode spotlights specific stock performance data, underlying industry trends, and the contrast between artificial intelligence and traditional PE sectors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. NVIDIA: The AI Bellwether

• NVIDIA's Status:
  Becker highlights NVIDIA as the "dominant bellwether stock to watch" within the AI sector, noting its direct correlation to broader trends in technology investment.

• Leadership Note:
  Host praises NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang as "the epitome of an incredible immigrant success story," encouraging listeners to read more about him.

• Stock Performance:
  NVIDIA is up 27% year-to-date—a significant indicator of AI's momentum in the market.

  “Nvidia continues to be the dominant bellwether stock to watch. It continues to thrive.” — Scott Becker [00:31]

2. AI Stock Performance — Winners and Losers

Becker breaks down several prominent AI stocks’ performances in 2025:

• Soundtown: Down 35% year-to-date

• Palantir Technologies: Up 105% year-to-date

• Tempest AI: Up 125% year-to-date (the biggest gainer)

  “Tempest leading that, Soundhound, downed some.” — Scott Becker [01:01]

• The sharp divergence illustrates the volatility and selective success among AI companies.

3. Private Equity: Lagging the Market

Becker shifts focus to the struggles within private equity:

• YTD Performance for Major PE Firms:

  • Blackstown: Down 3%
  • KKR: Down 8.84%
  • Apollo: Down 19.7%

• Industry Trend:
  PE stocks “lag well behind the S&P 500.”

• Exit Bottleneck:
  An "astounding" backlog of nearly 30,000 PE exits, meaning a significant number of investments are being held far longer than firms anticipated. Becker calls this a "disaster," underlining ongoing liquidity and return challenges in the sector.

  “The private equity stocks continue to struggle. They lag well behind the S&P 500. …That remains a disaster.” — Scott Becker [01:15]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NVIDIA’s import:

  “Jensen Huang is sort of the epitome of an incredible immigrant success story and worth reading a lot more about.” — Scott Becker [00:38]

• On private equity’s problems:

  “A recent stat that I came across showed that there’s a backload of nearly 30,000 PE exits. That’s an astounding number of investments that have been held by PE firms a lot longer than they anticipated.” — Scott Becker [01:21]

• On future hopes:

  “Let’s hope the tide turns on private equity and let’s hope it keeps on going on AI and more.” — Scott Becker [01:33]

Timeline of Important Segments

• 00:31 — Introduction to episode topics: NVIDIA, AI stocks, and PE stocks
• 00:35 — NVIDIA’s role in the AI market; Jensen Huang’s profile
• 00:45 — NVIDIA’s year-to-date performance
• 00:50 — Other AI stocks: Soundtown, Palantir, Tempest — current status
• 01:10 — PE stock performance breakdown (Blackstown, KKR, Apollo)
• 01:21 — Discussion of industry backlog and PE exit challenges
• 01:33 — Closing thoughts and hopes for sector trajectories

Summary

Scott Becker’s episode provides a data-packed snapshot of business market currents as of September 2025. He emphasizes the ongoing surge in specific AI stocks (with NVIDIA leading the sector), details both winners and losers across major AI firms, and contrasts these with the continued underperformance and structural challenges facing the private equity industry. The commentary is direct, optimistic about the future of AI, and candid about private equity’s present "disaster." The episode serves as a valuable barometer for investors and business observers tracking technological disruption and capital market shifts.