Bloomberg Tech – February 3, 2026

Episode: Disney Taps Parks Chief to be CEO, Palantir Gives Strong Sales Outlook

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a rapid, in-depth round-up of major technology and business news, with a focus on leadership changes at Disney, soaring (but challenging) growth at Palantir, consolidation in the space-AI sector via the SpaceX–xAI merger, and broader turbulence in the software market as AI disruption accelerates. The show also features insights into defense tech startups, market anxieties over “SaaS apocalypse,” gaming industry challenges, and the ongoing chip wars.

Key Segments & Insights

Palantir’s Strong Performance and Complex Market Dynamics

Starts: 03:21

• Palantir’s stock jumps following a bullish revenue outlook for 2026: revenues forecast at $7.19 billion (almost $1B above consensus).
• Greg Moskowitz (Mizuho Managing Director) notes:
  • “This was a stunning quarter. 70% year over year growth. 2026 guidance revision…was very substantial.” (04:13)
  • Despite strong fundamentals, target price was trimmed slightly, reflecting “very significant multiple compression…across software in recent weeks.”
• Palantir’s business split: Strong with existing clients (“Top 20 customers…spent on average $95 million over the past 12 months—stunning”) but facing challenges acquiring new customers (“Net new customer adds…40 less than the year ago period”). (05:15)
• Barriers to New Customers: High price and complexity to adopt. “It is a significant investment…not for everyone. This is not democratized software.” (06:42)
• Geopolitical and US vs. International Growth:
  • US is outpacing international, partly due to “complexity overseas” and focus of company investments at home.
  • Greg notes: “Karp has…said some of this is a function of where Palantir is placing their investments…2026 being the year of the US.” (07:53)
• Summary Quote:
  • “As long as existing customers…expand anywhere near these levels, you will still see Palantir grow at strong rates for the foreseeable future.” (05:15)

Software Meltdown and the “SaaS Apocalypse”

Starts: 08:55

• Market downturn continues for most software stocks amid anxieties over generative AI competition (notably new tools from Anthropic).
• “People are viewing this as…one person called a SaaS apocalypse. Software-as-a-service companies that historically had pretty durable growth…now their outlook is a lot more muddled.” - Caroline Hyde (10:02)
• Major names (including Microsoft) under pressure. Even leaders like Snowflake are seen as possible survivors, but general confusion reigns.
• Hardware sector (chips, memory, storage) faring better: “Continue to look pretty strong and are delivering the kind of growth that people really want to see.” (11:41)

Elon Musk’s SpaceX–xAI Merger

Starts: 11:46

• Musk merges SpaceX and xAI, creating an entity valued at $1.25 trillion.
• Lauren Grosch explains:
  • Musk’s memo touts “the most ambitious vertically integrated company…designed around AI and using space for AI purposes.” (12:44)
  • Focus on data centers in space for AI workloads.
  • SpaceX revalued at $1T; xAI at $250B.
  • Lauren: “It was just a massive day for both SpaceX and xAI and this new, you know, combined company…” (13:36)
• Investor Reaction / Skepticism:
  • Concerns about xAI’s debt and whether this aligns with SpaceX’s Martian settlement vision. “Maybe some investors and shareholders might think this isn’t exactly what they signed up for.” (13:59)
• Structure and Regulation:
  • The two companies remain technically separate for now due to defense regulations on SpaceX.
  • “I don’t think they want xAI to be under those regulations... For now…the two entities will be functioning separately, but…look for ways to integrate moving forward.” (15:00)

Disney Names New CEO: Josh D’Amaro

Starts: 18:38

• Josh D’Amaro (Parks Chief) to succeed Bob Iger in March.
• Disney Chairman James Gorman explains:
  • “Josh is just a standout executive…We want to make sure that whoever got the job beat all comers and he beat all comers. So we’re thrilled.” (18:53)
  • No preset goals/targets in contract; focus on continuity and mentorship by Iger through 2026.
  • Emphasizes the strength of Disney’s internal leadership pipeline: Dana Walden, Alan Bergman, Jimmy Pitaro, but states that 100 people were considered worldwide for the role.
• Bob Iger’s legacy: landmark studio acquisitions, steering Disney through streaming shifts and post-pandemic recovery.
• Broader Streaming Landscape:
  • Senate grilling for Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos over Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
  • Regulatory focus both in the US (new merger guidelines) and abroad (Europe, South Korea).
  • Questions about competitive dynamics in global streaming: “Who exactly does a combined Netflix and Warner Brothers compete with? …Is it the broader entertainment complex…short form videos on YouTube and TikTok?” — Lauren Grosch (23:50)

Investor Jitters and AI’s Impact on the Workforce

Starts: 27:58

• Industry-wide debate: Will generative AI (Anthropic, OpenAI) render much of SaaS obsolete?
• Guest Anna Rathbun (Grenadilla Advisory):
  • “Some of the selling pressure may be overdone, but it isn’t unwarranted. This is something we do need to think about seriously.” (28:37)
  • Microsoft’s entrenched software advantage and “stickiness” likely to endure (29:24, 30:02).
• Workforce Disruption: Quote from IBM CEO (31:00):
  • “I think 5 to 10% job displacement is likely. The onus is on us now to make sure we can give them other skills, upskilling or reskilling…There is going to be much more hiring in those areas that are much more productive.”
  • Rathbun: Entry-level jobs vulnerable, education and workforce training “need to catch up quickly otherwise it’s going to have a negative thumbprint in the labor market…” (31:50)
• Ongoing layoffs at Amazon, Alphabet; Nvidia–OpenAI “hardware spat” shows intensity of chip market (“Either Nvidia needs to catch up…or they need to acquire firms…This is a long race.” - Rathbun, 33:09)

Defense Tech / Robotics: Overland AI Raises $100M

Starts: 37:13

• Stephanie Bong (President/Co-Founder, Overland AI) on military ground robotics:
  • “Our core competency is our software…built for the most unforgiving conditions. Think rugged coastline, tangled forest, punishing ditches…where robo taxis and autonomous trucks fail.” (38:57)
  • Product started in DARPA’s “racer competition,” now scaling via field deployments with Army and Marines.
  • “Combat engineers are responsible for breaching enemy defenses. This is an incredibly dangerous task…Overland has partnered…to incorporate our autonomous systems into their breaching operations to save lives.” (40:56)
  • Exploring dual-use markets, e.g., partnerships with Cal Fire for wildfires. (42:20)

Gaming Industry Trials: Obsidian’s Output & Market Pressures

Starts: 44:39

• Obsidian Entertainment defies Xbox malaise, releasing three games in a year, but two miss sales goals.
  • “They did something rare and impressive…Three games, incredible considering a lot of companies…have not managed to release a single game in six or seven years.” — Jason Schreier (44:39)
  • Triple-A game dev times now 6–7 years, ballooning production costs and impairing financial forecasts. Obsidian aims for smarter pipelines and asset reuse. (45:32)
• Nintendo’s hardware success but margin pain:
  • “Nintendo is on track to sell 19 million Switch 2s…making it one of the fastest selling consoles ever. But…if they’re making less money per console because of the tariffs, that is not quite as impressive.” — Jason Schreier (46:41)
  • AI boom is causing memory shortages, could force price increases for gamers. (47:27)

Chip Markets: AMD’s State of Play

Starts: 48:02

• Krishna Sobhani (Bloomberg Intelligence)
  • AMD expected to beat on earnings/outlook, driven by data center CPUs.
  • “Unlike Intel, they have the ability with TSMC to get more supply…any hiccups or delays here could be really shaky.” (48:58)
  • Second half of 2026 expected to be inflection point with new GPU products for AI/data center markets.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It is a bit of a tale of two cities. Palantir’s software is not cheap.” — Greg Moskowitz, Mizuho (05:15)
• “People are viewing this as…a SaaS apocalypse.” — Caroline Hyde (10:02)
• “This was a stunning quarter. 70% year over year growth.” — Greg Moskowitz, Mizuho (04:13)
• “Elon’s talked very openly…about building out these massive data centers in space in order to do complex computing for artificial intelligence.” — Lauren Grosch (12:44)
• “Josh is just a standout executive…he beat all comers.” — James Gorman, Disney Chairman (18:53)
• “This is a textbook example of how autonomous ground systems can be used to reduce unnecessary risk to human life in military operations.” — Stephanie Bong, Overland AI (41:40)
• “Triple-A games…take six or seven years to make, which really ramps up the production costs and makes it so financial forecasts can be almost impossible to hit.” — Jason Schreier, on Obsidian’s challenges (45:32)
• “Nvidia being the giant that it is...is going to have to either innovate or be creative. Otherwise you’re going to see that daylight grow larger and bigger between [competitors]…” — Anna Rathbun (33:09)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 03:21 — Palantir earnings recap with Greg Moskowitz
• 08:55 — Broader software sell-off and SaaS “apocalypse”
• 11:46 — SpaceX and xAI $1.25T merger explained
• 18:38 — Disney names Parks Chief D’Amaro as new CEO, boardroom insight
• 27:58 — Impact of AI on software, jobs, and market structure with Anna Rathbun
• 37:13 — Overland AI’s $100M raise and defense tech applications
• 44:39 — Obsidian, gaming industry stresses, and Nintendo’s hardware dilemmas
• 48:02 — AMD earnings preview and the state of the chip industry

Tone and Language

The tone is brisk, analytical, and conversational, befitting Bloomberg’s style. Insights are delivered succinctly but with expertise, balancing cautious market skepticism with optimism about exceptional leadership (Disney), disruptive startup technology (Overland AI), and both the risk and opportunity in software’s AI future.

This summary covers the core news and in-depth discussions from the episode, giving a comprehensive sense of the state of the tech industry as of early February 2026.