September 9, 2025

finance  
Microsoft AI Agents, Google Cloud, Salesforce AI Growth

The artificial intelligence landscape continues to evolve with significant developments across various companies. Motion, a startup backed by Y Combinator, has raised $38 million, bringing its total funding to $75 million and achieving a $550 million valuation. The company is developing AI agents designed to automate tasks for small and medium-sized businesses, aiming to become the 'Microsoft Office of AI agents.' Their AI agent bundle has already attracted over 10,000 customers and generated $10 million in annual recurring revenue in just four months. Meanwhile, C3.ai is undergoing restructuring and a CEO transition, with Stephen Ehikian taking over from Thomas Siebel due to health reasons. The company reported a 19.4% decrease in total revenue year-over-year for its first quarter of fiscal year 2026 and expects continued revenue challenges. Analysts have expressed caution, with several lowering price targets. In the CRM space, Goldman Sachs maintains a Buy rating on Salesforce, believing AI will be a significant, multi-year growth driver for the company, enhancing its platform's value and competitive position. Tempus AI is also seeing AI advancements in oncology, with strategic partnerships and acquisitions strengthening its data capabilities and driving high-margin revenue, though risks related to valuation and reimbursement exist. On the hardware front, Chinese tech firms like Alibaba and ByteDance are still seeking NVIDIA's AI chips despite Beijing's discouragement, while NVIDIA anticipates significant revenue in Q3 2026. Broadcom's custom AI chips (XPUs) are outperforming Nvidia in stock gains this year, with strong revenue growth in AI, though its valuation is considered high. Major tech players like Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are heavily investing in AI and cloud computing. Ex-Amazon and Microsoft engineers have launched Bluejay, an AI startup focused on quality assurance for AI voice agents, raising $4 million in seed funding to simulate complex customer interactions and build trust in AI. In China, Alibaba Cloud led a $100 million investment in humanoid robot startup X Square Robot, which is developing an open-source foundation model for embodied AI and aims to make 'robotic butlers' a reality within five years.

Key Takeaways

  • Motion has raised $38 million, valuing the company at $550 million, to develop AI agents for businesses, aiming to emulate Microsoft Office.
  • Motion's AI agent bundle has acquired over 10,000 customers and achieved $10 million in annual recurring revenue in four months.
  • C3.ai is restructuring with a new CEO, Stephen Ehikian, following a 19.4% year-over-year revenue decrease in its first fiscal quarter.
  • Goldman Sachs reiterates a Buy rating on Salesforce, anticipating AI integration to be a significant multi-year growth driver.
  • Tempus AI is recommended as a Buy for long-term investors due to AI advancements in oncology and strategic partnerships.
  • Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba and ByteDance, continue to seek NVIDIA AI chips despite regulatory discouragement.
  • Broadcom's custom AI chips are driving strong revenue growth, with AI revenue reaching $5.2 billion in Q3 fiscal 2025.
  • Former Amazon and Microsoft engineers launched Bluejay, an AI voice agent quality assurance startup, raising $4 million in seed funding.
  • Alibaba Cloud led a $100 million investment in Chinese humanoid robot startup X Square Robot, which is developing embodied AI.
  • Major tech companies like Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are making substantial investments in AI and cloud computing.

Motion raises $38M to build AI agents like Microsoft Office

Motion, a startup backed by Y Combinator, has raised $38 million to develop AI agents for businesses. The company's AI agent bundle for small and medium-sized businesses has seen rapid growth, reaching over 10,000 customers and $10 million in annual recurring revenue in just four months. Motion aims to create an integrated suite of AI agents, similar to Microsoft Office, that can automate tasks like scheduling, customer support, and marketing. This funding round, led by Scale Venture Partners, brings Motion's total raised to $75 million and values the company at $550 million. The company plans to use the funds to expand its team and further develop its AI agent platform.

Harry Qi's Motion uses AI agents to boost business productivity

Harry Qi, co-founder of Motion, left a lucrative hedge fund career to build an AI-powered calendar and task management app. Motion has since developed an integrated AI agent package for small and medium-sized businesses, which has seen significant demand. The company recently raised $38 million in Series C funding, bringing its total to over $75 million. Motion's AI agents automate tasks like scheduling, customer support, and content creation, integrating with hundreds of other business tools. Qi envisions Motion as the 'Microsoft Office of AI agents,' aiming to make powerful AI assistants accessible to businesses without large budgets.

Motion secures $38M for AI agents aimed at small businesses

Motion, a Y Combinator-backed startup, has raised $38 million to develop AI agents for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The company aims to create an integrated suite of AI agents, comparable to Microsoft Office, that can automate various business tasks. Since launching its AI agent bundle in May, Motion has acquired over 10,000 B2B customers and achieved $10 million in annual recurring revenue. This funding, led by Scale Venture Partners, will support product development and team expansion. Motion's AI agents integrate with existing SMB tools to enhance productivity in areas like sales, marketing, and customer service.

Motion raises $60M at $550M valuation for AI agent work suite

Motion has raised $60 million across Series B, C, and C2 funding rounds, bringing its total funding to $75 million and achieving a $550 million valuation. The company's revenue has grown significantly, driven by its 'AI Employees' product, which features agents that autonomously complete work. Motion's agentic work platform now serves over 10,000 SMB customers and has generated 8-figure annual recurring revenue since the launch of its AI agents. The company is building an end-to-end agentic work suite for businesses, aiming to provide AI-powered automation for sales, marketing, project management, and client engagement. The new funding will be used to expand the engineering and product teams.

C3.ai stock dips amid restructuring and CEO change

C3.ai, an enterprise AI software company, is experiencing a stock price dip due to a restructuring and CEO transition. The company reported weak first-quarter results for fiscal year 2026, with a 19.4% decrease in total revenue year-over-year. Thomas Siebel, the former CEO, stepped down due to health issues, and Stephen Ehikian has been appointed as the new CEO. C3.ai expects continued revenue challenges in the second quarter. Analysts have expressed caution, with several lowering price targets and maintaining neutral or underweight ratings on the stock. Investors are advised to wait for a better entry point.

C3.ai stock drops 33% as CEO departs and revenue falls

C3.ai's stock has fallen 33% in the past month due to its longtime CEO Thomas Siebel stepping down for health reasons and disappointing first-quarter fiscal 2026 results. Revenue dropped 19% year-over-year, and the net loss significantly increased. The company has restructured its sales department, which contributed to the decline. Stephen Ehikian, with extensive experience in scaling AI companies, has been appointed as the new CEO. Despite trading at a low valuation, C3.ai faces risks if revenue continues to decline. Investors are advised to wait for the company to demonstrate a return to sustainable growth.

Goldman Sachs sees AI as a long-term boost for Salesforce

Goldman Sachs analyst Kash Rangan has reiterated a Buy rating on Salesforce (CRM) stock, setting a price target of $385.00. Rangan believes artificial intelligence (AI) will be a significant, multi-year growth driver for the company. Despite Salesforce's Q3 revenue guidance falling slightly short of expectations, Goldman Sachs is optimistic about the impact of AI integration into Salesforce's customer relationship management (CRM) platform. The firm expects these AI capabilities to enhance product value, attract new customers, and solidify Salesforce's competitive position in the market.

Tempus AI: AI advancements in oncology offer stock upside

Tempus AI (NASDAQ:TEM) is recommended as a Buy for long-term investors due to its transition into a data and AI platform for precision oncology. Strategic partnerships with AstraZeneca and Pathos, along with the Paige acquisition, are strengthening its data capabilities and driving high-margin revenue. Key risks include the stock's current valuation, potential technical challenges, and reliance on reimbursement for growth. Investors are advised to build positions during market pullbacks and monitor progress in genomics volume, data services growth, and profitability.

Ex-Amazon, Microsoft engineers raise $4M for AI voice agent startup Bluejay

Former Amazon and Microsoft engineers Rohan Vasishth and Faraz Siddiqi have launched Bluejay, an AI startup focused on quality assurance for AI voice agents. They raised $4 million in seed funding, led by Floodgate, with participation from Y Combinator and others. Bluejay's platform stress-tests AI voice agents by simulating complex customer interactions with varied accents, languages, and tones. The company aims to build trust in AI interactions by providing independent evaluation and observability. The funding will be used to hire developers, researchers, and sales staff to expand the company's capabilities.

Chinese tech firms seek NVIDIA AI chips despite Beijing's discouragement

Major Chinese tech companies like Alibaba and ByteDance are still interested in purchasing NVIDIA's AI chips, including the H20 model, despite regulatory discouragement from Beijing. These firms are monitoring NVIDIA's plans for a more powerful chip based on its Blackwell architecture. Reuters reported that the US government has also secured a deal for 15% of the H20 revenue. NVIDIA expects significant revenue in Q3 2026, with its outlook not assuming any H20 shipments to China. The company is a leader in AI computing, with its GPUs driving advancements in data centers and other sectors.

Broadcom's AI chips outperform Nvidia, but valuation is high

Broadcom's stock has risen about 45% this year, outperforming Nvidia, driven by strong demand for its custom AI chips (XPUs). The company reported impressive third-quarter fiscal 2025 earnings, with revenue up 22% and AI revenue up 63% to $5.2 billion. Broadcom expects AI revenue to reach $6.2 billion this quarter and grow over 60% next fiscal year. CEO Hock Tan believes XPUs could eventually surpass GPUs in demand. However, the stock's forward price-to-earnings ratio is high at 38, and customer concentration poses a risk. The author is keeping the stock on a watchlist for a better buying opportunity.

Top 10 AI Stocks to Buy Now

Investing in companies driving artificial intelligence (AI) is a smart strategy, with hyperscalers investing billions in data centers. Nvidia leads with its GPUs, projecting massive growth in demand. Broadcom is also a key player, offering connectivity switches and custom AI accelerators. Taiwan Semiconductor manufactures chips for Nvidia and Broadcom, while ASML supplies essential equipment for chip production. Major tech companies like Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft are heavily investing in AI and cloud computing. SoundHound AI shows rapid growth with its audio recognition technology, and The Trade Desk is working to transition users to its new AI-first platform.

Alibaba leads $100M investment in Chinese humanoid robot startup X Square Robot

Chinese humanoid robot startup X Square Robot has secured approximately $100 million in a funding round led by Alibaba Cloud. The company, less than two years old, has now raised a total of around 2 billion yuan ($280 million). HongShan (formerly Sequoia Capital China) also participated in the round. X Square Robot is developing an open-source foundation model for embodied AI and aims to make 'robotic butlers' a reality within five years. The startup is generating revenue from sales to schools, hotels, and retirement homes and plans to prepare for an IPO next year. They are also exploring international markets like Japan and Singapore.

C3.ai's struggles benefit Palantir investors

C3.ai's recent quarterly results and ongoing restructuring have led to a significant stock decline, which is seen as positive news for investors in competitor Palantir Technologies. C3.ai missed its first-quarter revenue guidance by over 30% and saw its operating loss nearly double. The company withdrew its full-year guidance, increasing uncertainty. While both companies aim to diversify their customer base, Palantir has secured larger, more strategic contracts, particularly in defense and government sectors, and has established strong partnerships with major tech firms. C3.ai's struggles suggest it is losing ground to Palantir in the competitive AI software market.

Sources

AI agents Business productivity Startup funding Microsoft Office Automation Scheduling Customer support Marketing AI platform Enterprise AI AI software Stock performance Restructuring CEO transition Revenue decline AI chips NVIDIA Broadcom AI accelerators GPUs Chip manufacturing ASML Hyperscalers Cloud computing AI Stocks Humanoid robots Embodied AI Foundation models Robotics AI voice agents Quality assurance Seed funding AI advancements Oncology Precision medicine Data platform Customer Relationship Management (CRM) AI integration Salesforce Palantir Technologies C3.ai Tempus AI Bluejay Motion Alibaba ByteDance X Square Robot SoundHound AI The Trade Desk