Podcast Summary: The Rundown

Host: Zaid Admani
Episode: Nvidia Invests $2B in CoreWeave, OpenAI Ramps Up Enterprise Push
Date: January 26, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode of The Rundown delivers a swift briefing on the week’s pivotal market events. Host Zaid Admani provides a forecast of the upcoming week’s market drivers, focusing on major tech earnings and an important Federal Reserve meeting that could define investor sentiment for the quarter. The episode also dives into two headline stories: Nvidia’s substantial investment in CoreWeave and OpenAI’s intensified efforts to win enterprise clients. Additional segments cover notable stock movements (including major government investments and a failed acquisition), followed by a light-hearted look at fan backlash to UFC’s new streaming partnership.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Stock Market Recap and Outlook (00:28–02:16)

• Last week’s performance:
  • S&P 500 was down 0.4%, Nasdaq down 0.1%. Market turbulence attributed to "Trump Greenland stuff," but ultimately ended mostly flat.
  • Quote:

    “The stock market was on a roller coaster because of the Trump Greenland stuff. But after all of that, the markets did end up pretty flat for the week.” (00:33)

• Metals surging:
  • Gold crosses $5,000, silver at $110/ounce—both benefiting from investors hedging against a weak USD and global uncertainty.
• Earnings and Fed meeting preview:
  • Over 100 S&P 500 companies will report earnings this week, including tech heavyweights (Tesla, Microsoft, Meta, Apple).
  • “These earnings are going to be huge because the entire stock market narrative could change based on what these big tech companies report and what they say about AI spending.” (01:43)
  • Federal Reserve meeting: Only a 3% chance of a rate cut, but will be closely watched due to the current investigation into the Fed and its chair.
  • “Jerome Powell will get a ton of questions about this at his press conference on Wednesday. Historically he’s avoided answering questions about Trump, but that might change now.” (02:08)

2. Nvidia’s $2 Billion Investment in CoreWeave (02:16–04:23)

• What is CoreWeave?
  • “They build AI data centers packed with Nvidia chips. They sell that capacity to companies like Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI. People call them a Neo Cloud.” (02:30)
• Investment details:
  • Nvidia already owns $3.3B in CoreWeave equity; commits another $2B.
  • Nvidia to act as financial backstop—agrees to buy $6.3B in unused CoreWeave cloud capacity.
• Product developments:
  • CoreWeave will be among the first to use Nvidia’s new chip, Vera (first standalone CPU chip), allowing Nvidia to challenge AMD and Intel in new markets.
• Circular financing concerns:
  • “The money that Nvidia is investing in CoreWeave is gonna be coming back to them as chip orders…Deals like these will continue to have concerns around circular financing…” (03:56)
  • Despite concerns, CoreWeave stock jumps 10% on the news.

3. OpenAI’s Enterprise Ambitions and Market Dynamics (04:24–06:09)

• Ensuing rivalry:
  • OpenAI’s ChatGPT dominates the consumer side; Anthropic’s Claude tools are preferred by many enterprises.
  • “Whoever wins enterprise AI gets long term contracts, sticky revenue and massive switching costs. And that’s why OpenAI is pushing hard to not let Anthropic run away with that market.” (04:52)
• OpenAI moves:
  • Sam Altman hosts private dinner with Fortune 500 CEOs (e.g., Disney’s Bob Iger) to pitch OpenAI for broad enterprise use cases.
  • 40% of OpenAI revenue comes from business customers, could reach 50% this year.
  • “Sam Altman followed up by saying that OpenAI did $1 billion in annualized API revenue in just the past month.” (05:44)
• Competitive landscape:
  • Anthropic focuses on enterprise; Google with Gemini targets consumers.
  • OpenAI is stretched between both, which may diminish focus and momentum.
  • Recent OpenAI launches (Sora, AI browser) have not gained expected traction.
  • “I wonder if OpenAI should just focus on being a consumer AI company and not try to go after the enterprise stuff. On a side note, I’ve been messing around with Claude Cowork and it is pretty insane. So Anthropic man, they are crushing it right now.” (06:01)

4. Stocks Making Big Moves (06:09–08:03)

USA Rare Earth (06:09–07:04)

• Stock surges after government deal:
  • U.S. government takes 10% equity, giving $277M in grants and $1.3B in debt financing.
  • Company to build U.S.-based magnet factory and rare earth mine, part of push for supply chain independence.
  • “Investors clearly love it. U S Rare Earth Stock is up 20% this morning in reaction to this news.” (07:03)

Revolution Medicines (07:04–08:03)

• Stock plunges after Merck walks from acquisition:
  • Talks valued Revolution at $30B; broke down due to disagreement on price.
  • Revolution’s lead drug could be a blockbuster, but failed talks raise doubts about trial data.
  • “Investors are definitely bailing on the stock today.” (08:03)

5. UFC Fans Unhappy With Paramount Streaming Deal (08:04–09:40)

• Paramount+ acquires UFC media rights for $7.7B over seven years.
• Change: No more $80 PPV; now part of $9/month subscription but forced ads throughout broadcast anger fans.
• Memorable moment:

  “People were talking about how the fighter walkouts were cut short to show more ads. There was ads between rounds and when the fights ended early, there was even more ads.” (09:10)

• Industry trend: Companies favor cheaper ad-supported tiers. Host speculates most viewers prefer ads if price is low, aligning with streaming industry shifts.
• Interactive close:

  “Would you rather just pay 80 bucks for a fight with little ads or are you okay sitting through the ads and watching the fight for just a Paramount plus subscription? Let me know in the comments…” (09:34)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “Stocks are coming off a volatile week. The stock market was on a roller coaster because of the Trump Greenland stuff. But after all of that, the markets did end up pretty flat for the week.” (00:33)
• “These earnings are going to be huge because the entire stock market narrative could change based on what these big tech companies report and what they say about AI spending.” (01:43)
• “Jerome Powell will get a ton of questions about this at his press conference…Historically he’s avoided answering questions about Trump, but that might change now.” (02:08)
• “The money that Nvidia is investing in CoreWeave is gonna be coming back to them as chip orders…deals like these will continue to have concerns around circular financing…” (03:56)
• “Whoever wins enterprise AI gets long term contracts, sticky revenue and massive switching costs. And that’s why OpenAI is pushing hard to not let Anthropic run away with that market.” (04:52)
• “People were talking about how the fighter walkouts were cut short to show more ads. There was ads between rounds and when the fights ended early, there was even more ads.” (09:10)

Important Timestamps

• Market overview & metals rally: 00:28–02:16
• Upcoming earnings & Fed meeting: 01:32–02:16
• Nvidia/CoreWeave headline: 02:16–04:23
• OpenAI vs. Anthropic for Enterprise: 04:24–06:09
• USA Rare Earth news: 06:09–07:04
• Revolution Medicines fallout: 07:04–08:03
• UFC and Paramount+ backlash: 08:04–09:40

Overall Tone

Zaid Admani keeps the pace fast, direct, and engaging. He blends sharp market insight with relatable, conversational language and candid personal opinions—making complex stories approachable for newer investors, while keeping it relevant for seasoned listeners.

Summary Takeaway

This episode teed up a pivotal week for markets, spotlighted the rapidly evolving AI enterprise landscape with Nvidia and OpenAI’s latest maneuvers, and captured major sentiment drivers in both the stock and cultural arenas. The host’s enthusiastic, conversational updates connect macro events, big tech moves, and audience-centered stories—all in a compelling, quick-hit package.