AI stocks have lost a record $500 billion, which is a sign that people are worried that the sector is in a bubble. This sharp drop has upset global markets, shaken investors’ faith, and led to quick comparisons to the dot-com crash of the early 2000s.
The Selloff: What Happened?
A wave of profit-taking and valuation anxiety washed over Wall Street and beyond, casting a tech stock selloff so broad it was nearly equal-opportunity; among the hardest-hit stocks were high-flying AI companies. The losses wiped billions in market capitalization off of companies like Palantir, Nvidia, Tesla and Google. And shares of even strong earnings businesses like Palantir tumbled — its stock was down more than 9 percent despite beating analyst expectations, in a sign that enthusiasm had turned to skepticism.
Key Causes: Bubble Fears and Overhype
- In 2025, stocks linked to AI rose sharply as investors chased next-generation products, cloud infrastructure, and promises of digital transformation.
- By the end of October and the beginning of November, warnings from financial experts and economists got louder. They said that AI valuations were too high, just like they were before the dot-com bust.
- The cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings (CAPE) ratio for tech stocks was close to levels not seen since the dot-com boom, which made people worry about a big correction.
- As news headlines argued about whether AI was a game-changing technology or a bubble that was going to burst, the market became very volatile.
Biggest Losers
| Company | Loss in Market Value ($B) | % Decline |
| Nvidia | ~$50B+ | (2% drop) |
| Palantir | ~$9B | (9.3% drop) |
| AMD | Significant | (~6% drop) |
| Qualcomm | >4% | |
| $77B (2.3% drop) | (2.3% drop) | |
| Tesla | $67B | (4.5% drop) |
| Amazon | $48B | (1.8% drop) |
Small and mid-cap tech stocks were especially hard-hit, though blue-chip AI-leaders led the way lower as investors fled risk.
Broader Market Impact
- The Nasdaq dropped more than 2%, which was one of its biggest drops of 2025.
- The S&P 500 dropped 1.2% and the Dow dropped 0.5%, but tech-heavy indexes had the worst of it.
- Asian and European stocks also fell in response, as investors around the world sold off their AI and semiconductor stocks.
Macro Pressures: Earnings, Employment, and Sentiment
- The market got even worse when big companies announced disappointing plans and job cuts rose by 44% from last year, with tech leading the way.
- Even small cuts to guidance caused huge selloffs, like with Qualcomm and Palantir, because expectations had gotten so high.
- Bitcoin and other risky assets fell sharply as worries about liquidity and government shutdowns made people even more worried about the market.
Is the AI Rally Over?
Experts don’t all agree. Some people say that the sector still has the potential to change in the long term, but they also agree that the high prices needed to be checked. Some people, remembering the dot-com crash, say that the unwinding may have only just begun, especially since $500 billion in value disappeared so quickly.
Takeaway
The $500 billion drop in the value of AI stocks represents an important inflection point for tech investors. As the bubble warnings play out, the sector enters a phase of growing uncertainty, more scrutiny and wider separation between those that truly innovate and flash-in-the-pan hype. To be sure, we don’t know yet if this is just a transient course correction or the start of a more prolonged unwind, but the market is sending an unmistakable signal: AI fever has broken and caution is once again stylish.