Meta's AI Leap: Why This Veteran Investor Still Sees Significant Upside for the Stock

Alright, let's talk about Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META). If you've been following the market, you know it's been quite a ride for them. But here's the kicker: Whitney Tilson, a well-known former hedge fund manager, isn't just saying Meta's doing well; he's outright calling it his "favorite large-cap tech stock," tying it with Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN). And get this, he believes Meta has, and I quote, "more room to run." Now, that's a bold statement, right?

So, what's got Tilson so enthusiastic? Well, it all boils down to one game-changing development: the rollout of Meta's personal AI agent, Muse. Tilson made a similar bullish call back on July 31st, and it seems his conviction has only strengthened. What's truly fascinating is that while he hasn't personally tried the Muse AI Agent yet – a little imperfection we can all relate to, perhaps – he's getting his intel from a trusted source. And that source is none other than Scott Galloway.

Now, Scott Galloway's endorsement is a huge deal, folks. For a very long time, Galloway has been, shall we say, rather negative on Meta's prospects. He's been a vocal critic. But his review of Muse? Absolutely raving! He's calling Muse a "time machine," asserting that it genuinely gives people their time back. Why? Because it’s so deeply integrated and knowledgeable, drawing on users' extensive histories with Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Think about it: an AI that already understands you, thanks to years of data. That's a powerful concept, and it's enough to sway even the most entrenched skeptics like Galloway.

It wasn't just talk, though; the market certainly reacted. When the Muse AI Agent officially rolled out, Meta's stock absolutely soared. We saw shares jump an impressive 11.4% on one particular Monday, adding a staggering $200 billion to its market capitalization. And the momentum didn't stop there; the following Tuesday saw the stock climb another 0.9% to $748.04, pushing its year-to-date gains for 2026 to a solid 15%. Those numbers really paint a picture of investor confidence, don't they?

This success, of course, points directly to Mark Zuckerberg's renewed focus on building incredibly useful consumer products, especially in the AI space. He's not just sitting back; he's actively driving this innovation. We're even hearing whispers, or rather, announcements, about "more partnerships" coming down the pipeline. A prime example? A collaboration with Shopify to power AI-driven shopping experiences right through Muse. Imagine that – your personal AI agent helping you find exactly what you need, tailored to your tastes, across your favorite platforms. It’s pretty wild to think about the possibilities.

The ripple effects are pretty remarkable, too. Muse isn't just making waves in the stock market; it hit the coveted No. 1 spot on the U.S. free iPhone app chart. And, in a rather interesting turn of events, its success and the resulting increased demand for CPUs and AI chips are even being credited with helping carry Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD) into the elite $1-trillion club. So, what started as a seemingly niche AI agent is actually having a much broader impact across the entire tech ecosystem. It really does seem like Meta's bet on AI is paying off, and then some.