Microsoft Set for Worst Quarter Since 2008 as AI Fears Converge

Microsoft Corp. is at the intersection of two troubling trends roiling the technology sector, which has the stock on track for its worst quarterly performance since the global financial crisis two decades ago.

First, the software giant is doubling down on capital expenditures as Wall Street increasingly asks when investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure will produce more dramatic payoffs in revenue growth. And second, investors are selling software stocks over fears that AI startups like Anthropic and OpenAI are creating agents that can replace products made by companies like Microsoft.