Can Apple Regain Its Throne? The Battle of Trillion-Dollar Tech Giants

Summary

Earn Your Leisure Podcast Episode Summary
Title: Can Apple Regain Its Throne? The Battle of Trillion-Dollar Tech Giants
Hosts: Rashad Bilal and Mike Millings
Release Date: July 6, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of Earn Your Leisure, hosts Rashad Bilal and Mike Millings delve into the competitive landscape of trillion-dollar tech giants, focusing on whether Apple can reclaim its position as the foremost tech leader. The discussion navigates through current market standings, potential shifts driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), and strategic investments that could influence future rankings.

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Current Market Landscape

Mike Millings opens the discussion by questioning Apple's ability to maintain its top spot amidst rising competitors:
"Is there any company that could overtake Apple in third place? Or will Apple take back the number one spot?" [01:20]

Rashad outlines the current top ten companies by market capitalization, highlighting Nvidia's dominance at the top:
"At 10, we got Berkshire Hathaway at a little over 1 trillion. Taiwan Semi is 9, Broadcom is 8, Saudi Aramico is 7, Meta is 6, Google is 5, Amazon is 4, Apple is 3, Microsoft is 2, and Nvidia is 1." [02:31]

Mike emphasizes the critical role of AI investments in Apple's ability to stay competitive:
"If Apple does not invest into AI or has a significant partnership in four or five years, it's a great question. I can see a conglomerate like Saudi Aramico taking it, but I think someone in the AI space could definitely take it." [01:32]

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The Role of AI and Strategic Investments

The hosts discuss how AI investments are pivotal for maintaining or elevating market positions. Mike expresses concern over Apple's current stance on AI:
"Apple still has the worst AI product in Siri. I can't even when I do market research I have to exit out of Siri to go to ChatGPT if I'm going to use voice mode to get an actual recantation of what's happening in the market." [06:22]

Rashad concurs, emphasizing the importance of AI-driven profitability:
"How does profit margin change over the next two to three years when things become automated? For a company that pretty much is making things automated already, if they increase automation, what does that do for profit margin?" [03:22]

Mike argues that companies like Google are better positioned to leverage AI for profitability:
"Google can take that spot if Apple doesn't get this together. Sergey being at the helm and being in the office allows Google to engineer their profitability a lot faster than Amazon." [02:56]

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Market Capitalization and Future Projections

The conversation shifts to future projections of market caps, with Rashad and Mike speculating on the potential shifts:
"If Apple does not significantly invest and Google continues to do so, I can see them going to 5th and Google taking that spot." [04:24]

Rashad adds a worst-case scenario for Apple:
"Potentially be falling to 5 worst case scenario. Worst case they're sitting right under 3 trillion." [06:22]

They also touch upon Nvidia's near future, indicating its strong position:
"Nvidia is not far from four." [06:38]

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Competitive Strategies and Leadership

Mike critiques Apple's leadership decisions, suggesting a reluctance to invest in emerging technologies:
"You have Apple sitting on enough money to buy Syria cash free and clear and you won't buy an AI company. Why?" [04:45]

He contrasts this with Meta's proactive investments:
"He's putting capital behind the AI investment to get them from OpenAI to Meta." [04:56]

Rashad highlights the importance of strategic partnerships and investments for sustained growth:
"If they course correct in a year or two and have a partnership with Perplexity or a major AI infrastructure company, they will keep that spot or remain higher." [04:33]

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Audience Q&A: Differentiating Dead Charts from Opportunities

The episode includes an insightful audience question:
"What do you use to differentiate the difference between a dead chart versus an amazing opportunity?" [09:25]

Mike responds by emphasizing the significance of a company's fundamental health over mere stock chart appearances:
"It's not so much the chart is dead, it's if the company is dead or not. If you believe in a great company, you should throw as many shares as you can into it." [10:42]

Rashad adds a technical perspective, advocating for trend analysis through candlestick charts:
"From a technical standpoint, I would be looking at the value, how it's trading on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Use candlesticks to see momentum." [12:47]

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Investment Strategies and Future Outlook

The hosts discuss investment strategies, particularly during market fluctuations:
"You want to stack as many shares as you can before they take off. Same with Nvidia, same with AMD. We can go to Tesla before Cathy Wood made her proclamation on CNBC and they left her off stage and then Tesla took off to the upside." [10:42]

Rashad underscores the importance of investing in companies with strong future prospects:
"At a certain point, they're going to start seeking the benefits of investment. And I think we're getting to that point." [08:00]

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a consensus that strategic investments in AI and other emerging technologies are crucial for tech giants like Apple to maintain or elevate their market positions. Mike reiterates his confidence in Apple as a company while urging for necessary course corrections:
"For everyone who asks what will make me change my stance on Apple? I still believe in it as a company." [08:16]

Rashad highlights the dynamic nature of market trends and the importance of staying ahead through innovation and strategic partnerships:
"We're getting to the point where investment into AI is no longer optional but essential for sustaining growth." [08:22]

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Key Takeaways

• Apple's Market Position: Currently third among trillion-dollar tech giants, with challenges in AI investments potentially affecting its ranking.
• Importance of AI: Strategic investments in AI are critical for maintaining competitiveness and enhancing profit margins.
• Future Projections: Companies like Google and Nvidia are poised to ascend, potentially overtaking Apple if the latter does not adapt.
• Investment Strategy: Focus on fundamental company health and future prospects rather than solely on stock chart movements.
• Leadership Decisions: Effective leadership and willingness to invest in emerging technologies are vital for sustained growth.

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Notable Quotes

• Mike Millings: "Apple still has the worst AI product in Siri. I can't even when I do market research I have to exit out of Siri to go to ChatGPT if I'm going to use voice mode to get an actual recantation of what's happening in the market." [06:22]

• Rashad Bilal: "How does profit margin change over the next two to three years when things become automated?" [03:22]

• Mike Millings: "If Apple does not significantly invest and Google continues to do so, I can see them going to 5th and Google taking that spot." [04:24]

• Mike Millings: "It's not so much the chart is dead, it's if the company is dead or not." [10:42]

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This episode provides a comprehensive analysis of the current and future standings of major tech giants, emphasizing the pivotal role of AI and strategic investments. Rashad and Mike offer valuable insights for investors and enthusiasts looking to understand the evolving dynamics of the tech industry.

Transcript

[Host]

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[Rashad]

Look.

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[Ian]

Is there any company that could overTake Apple in third place? Or will Apple take back the number one spot?

[Rashad]

All right, now we get lost over.

[Ian]

The next few years.

[Mike]

GameStop. What's another meme Coins y' all like Nicola? I mean, it depends on what time frame we're talking. If we're talking if Apple does not invest into AI or has a significant partnership in four or five years, it's a great question. I can see a conglomerate like Saudi Aramico taking it, but I think someone in the AI space could definitely take it. And an imperfect world. If they don't make an investment by 2030, I think Apple will be fifth in terms of market cap. That's why I keep beating this drum about them needing to make a course correction. But where's Meta on the list?

[Rashad]

Meta is number six. Meta's number six.

[Ian]

And the people we talk about market caps for the market cap. Yeah, total market cap. So right now you want to do the top five market.

[Rashad]

All right, so top five. I'll give you 10. Yeah, let's do 10. So at 10, we got Berkshire Hathaway at a little over 1 trillion. Taiwan Semi is 9, Broadcom is 8, Saudi Aramico is 7, Meta is 6, Google is 5, Amazon is 4, Apple is 3, Microsoft is 2, and Nvidia is 1.

[Mike]

Oh, if. If Apple don't get this Together Google can take that.

[Rashad]

I think number four is, I mean it's the obvious. Right. Amazon is, is, is trailing it. We know what they're.

[Mike]

The only thing that concerns me there is profit margin. So how much they can reinvest, can they improve IT space? That's the only part I'm concerned about. Google's done a great job of.

[Rashad]

Well.

[Mike]

Sergey also being at helm and being in the office. Go ahead.

[Rashad]

So like profit margin. I'm glad you said that because how does profit margin change over the next two to three years when things become automated? For a company that pretty much is making things automated already, if they increase automation, what does that do for profit margin?

[Mike]

That's true, but I think they have hard fixed cost that may be hard to be restructured. I'm not saying that it's impossible.

[Rashad]

Yeah.

[Mike]

But for a company like Google that has more like. I think it's easier to engineer their profitability a lot faster than Amazon. Amazon is the turtle in the race that could win for sure. But in the short term, if Apple does not significantly invest and Google continues to do so, like I pay for that sweet just to test it. The suite is amazing and you know how I felt about Google and then you know, they sent you the call and I got a couple of texts and they're like, try the suite out. Phenomenal. Veil is better than anything. And I know everybody that watched the show at hq at Apple, y', all, it is.

[Rashad]

No, you're not lying. It is.

[Mike]

The sweet is phenomenal. So I can see if now, if they course correct in a year or two and have a partnership with Perplexity or a major AI infrastructure company, they will keep that spot or remain higher. But if they don't, I can see them going to 5th and Google taking that spot matters on a tear. And the thing I can say about Zuckerberg, you can say that he may copy or he may lag, but he doesn't lag for long and he's putting capital behind the AI investment to get them from open AI to meta. You have Apple sitting on enough money to buy Syria cash free and clear and you won't buy an AI company. Why? And for everyone who may say this, stop saying that. I'm talking to people that work in hq. They have the same. It's a leadership thing. It's not that there's not talented people at Apple, it's not that there's not talented product creators and product managers as leadership is afraid of what to do. And it's a great lesson of you can't miss time when to invest in the next thing can't do it. Every year invest fest gets better in terms of production sound quality. I'm here y' all said I'm still AI. Greetings earthlings. All that cool. You have to invest into the project to make it better. And I hated saying it but Apple still has the worst AI product in Siri. I, I can't even when I do market research I have to exit out of Siri to go to chat GPT if I'm going to use voice mode to get an actual recantation of what's happening in the market. But you have enough money to buy a country continent as misplaced capital management at best so.

[Rashad]

So you gotta maybe potentially be falling a 5 worst case scenario. Worst case they're sitting right under 3 trillion. We got three companies at 3 trillion.

[Mike]

It's amazing.

[Rashad]

That is pretty amazing. And Nvidia is not far from four.

[Mike]

You think Apple couldn't have invested in core weave?

[Rashad]

Yes, but what would be the product.

[Mike]

Or, or a blockchain wallet? They could have just integrated something in the Apple wallet just for show.

[Rashad]

Yeah, I mean they said we got to watch, we got to watch this. The Corey situation is interesting because even like Sam we don't have open AI and obviously and they said if they IPO that could change things and I think we all agree with that. But even him now you know recently he's talking about he's. He's looking to go away from Nvidia's GPU's Smart.

[Mike]

Same as Apple went away from Intel. Yeah, yeah, same playbook. I think the greatest business lesson in this is you can, we can talk about it on blackout as well but you can either focus on beating your competition or doing what is best for your customer. Amazon traditionally has focused on what is best for the customers that are in the Amazon ecosystem. Even if that means they are running negative in terms of profitability for 10 to 20 years to give you quicker delivery and then the customers will love you so much that they'll scale the business through the amplification of their happiness.

[Rashad]

But the core, I mean at the core yes we know the E commerce business but the money maker is the cloud service. Right. AWS is, is a large generator. As you get more AI, you're going to need more cloud.

[Mike]

Absolutely. A well timed great investment into the future.

[Rashad]

Right. That's why I said they. Yeah, I agree with you. Like their capex spend is, is always pretty high which obviously brings down the profit margins. But At a certain point, they're going to start seeking the benefits of.

[Mike]

Oh, absolutely.

[Rashad]

Investment. You know what I mean? And I think we're getting to that point. We're getting to that point.

[Mike]

For everyone who asks what will make me change my stance on Apple? I still believe in it as a company. To invest in it is still the word core holding the 2Tech2 index. What I would love to see is an investment to AI and an investment into blockchain and or crypto and then and an investment into quantum computing. That will be an investment into the future. Not Glass Lens for a And once again, you having that kerfuffle with Zuckerberg and Elon. This y' all little fight y' all having. Meta has you beat on the glasses with the Oakley partnership and the one that's coming that I can't talk about wiping down them little Google goggles, please. And then you scrap the EV car. Once again, you can only Rashad, when you create, do you create for the benefit of your audience? Are you thinking about somebody with a thousand followers who don't like you? I think it matters what your source of creation is it out of love or out of trying to destroy someone else? But what do I know?

[Rashad]

Youtubers.

[Mike]

I love y'. All.

[Rashad]

Just some guys on YouTube.

[Ian]

Okay, hit the like button.

[Rashad]

Yes.

[Ian]

And share. And do remember. Thank you. To Block, they are sponsoring 50% off 100 invest fest tickets and 10 vendables. First come, first serve, general mission, VIP, platinum, whatever. Just the first hundred tickets that go into code block at checkout and the first 10 vendor booths that go into code block clock at checkout. First come, first serve. Okay, so we have a question from audience participation. I they said what do you do? What do you use to differentiate the difference between a dead chart versus an amazing opportunity? I wish I was scooping up Robin Hood during that base. I won't miss it. Next bear market.

[Mike]

It's a great question. I think the difference between the it's not so much the chart is dead, it's if the company is dead or not. So if you take a company like Zoom, whom I love to use the product but it's not a great investment, or Zillow if you compare that with Robin Hood, which Robin Hood I think was attacked because it decentralized investment opportunity into the market. And from the beginning they had a great fan base, great business, great CEO. Not just saying that because he's a a friend of the show, but I think they had a great business. And over time it will only be so long that you can hold a great executive and a great company down. If you compare that with a Hertz, the profit margin is terrible. Executive management is not that great. They don't really have a lead, they don't have a product that people love and there's no opportunity for gross margin or profit margin increases there. I think the difference is just knowing a great company from a bad one. My rule of thumb has always been, if you have to ask, is a company good, it's not greatness you can't avoid. So. But when there are opportunities, when a company is flat, like how Robin Hood was at that 11 to 15 range I've stated before, you want to stack as many shares as you can before they take off. Same with Nvidia, same with amd. We can go to Tesla before Cathy Wood made her proclamation on CNBC and they left her off stage and then Tesla took off to the upside. If you believe in a great company, you should throw as many shares as you can into it. And I've always said, like, you want to be in a position minimum to get to a thousand shares and then ultimately 10,000, because at that number you can write your own ticket for life for how much money you're able to produce out of the market. So don't look at it so much of a dead chart, but is the company dead or not?

[Rashad]

Yeah, yeah, I, I mean, from a technical standpoint, I would be looking at the value, right. If you, if you want to see where a company's moving or how many people are interested in the company, look at the value, how it's training on a daily basis. I was trading on a weekly basis, how it's trading on a monthly basis. I would look at the trends of the can, like if you use candlesticks, look at the trends and where they're going, you can see momentum. Right. I think that's one thing that people can see, like when they just use a singular line.

[Host]

Yeah, it looks pretty preschool, but if.

[Rashad]

You just put candles on, you start seeing momentum. You see green, you see red, you look at which way that the momentum is going.

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