Aswath Damodaran on Microsoft (MSFT) Return on AI Investments: 'I Don't See The Numbers' Yet

We recently published These 10 Stocks are Buzzing After Important Analyst Calls. Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the stocks analysts were recently talking about.

Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business professor of finance, said in a recent program on CNBC that hyperscalers cannot “survive” without products and services giving back return on their investments. He was referring to major AI companies investing billions into the future. As an example, the professor talked about Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT).

“I’ll tell you without the product and services the the hyperscalers the architecture companies cannot survive right I mean you need the revenues the earnings and the cash flows coming from the products you produce I mean you’re just off that flip on Microsoft. Microsoft spends a hundred billion in AI architecture. It needs about $300 billion in revenues from AI products and services to cover that cost. So if you extend that across the across the market, you’re talking about a market that’s building in an expectation of three to four trillion in revenues from AI products and services. Right now, I don’t see the numbers there, but that’s what I’m watching for. which of these companies is going to be able to elbow its way to the front and be able to get that kind of revenue from its products and services.”

Brown Advisory Large-Cap Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:

“Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), a global leader in software and cloud services, saw its shares trade higher in the second quarter following an earnings report and guidance update that exceeded consensus expectations. The company delivered strong performance across all business segments, with particularly robust growth in both core and AI-related Azure services. Management’s outlook for Azure remains especially positive, citing rising customer demand for AI solutions.”

While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.