Meta Wants Google's AI Help 🤝

Plus, Costco's same-store sales.

September 26, 2025

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Today is Friday, September 26, 2025.

The Early Bird Index today is 92.96.

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Meta Wants Google's AI Help 🤝

Google parent Alphabet $GOOGL ( ▼ 0.55% ) ticked up 0.89% in after-hours trading on Thursday after a report said that the company was considering a partnership with Facebook parent Meta Platforms $META ( ▼ 1.55% ) .

Details: The Information reported on Thursday that Meta staffers have had discussions with Google regarding the use of Gemini, its artificial intelligence model, to improve Meta’s advertising operations. This included using Gemini on ad data. The report also said the discussions are in the early stages and may not result in a formal partnership.

Powering the Story: This report highlights the advancements that Google has made with its models, while also putting a spotlight on Meta’s AI. The fact that Meta has to consider using a third-party AI for ad operations speaks to how far behind the company is in the AI race.

Early Bird’s Nest Egg Gains: Meta is currently considered behind in AI compared to its top competitors, especially in areas such as model reasoning and benchmark performance. 

  • Meta maintains a strong AI infrastructure and a dominant presence in social media-driven AI, but that’s not good enough for the AI race.

  • The company’s AI models have underperformed competitors, and Meta has struggled to consistently attract and retain top-tier AI talent.

Final Thoughts: Despite its AI challenges, Meta’s stock is up nearly 25% this year.

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Notables

Notable Earnings Today: KNOT Offshore Partners (NYSE: KNOP).

Notable IPOs Today: FutureCrest Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: FCRS), American Exceptionalism Acquisition Corp. A (NYSE: AEXA), BTQ Technologies Corp. Common Stock (Nasdaq: BTQ), Megan Holdings Limited Ordinary Shares (Nasdaq: MGN).

Notable Equity Crowdfunding Campaigns Ending Today: AEXLAB (StartEngine), Valley Center Wellness (PicMii).

Notable Economic Events Today: Core PCE Price Index / PCE Price Index (8:30 a.m. ET), Personal Spending (8:30 a.m. ET), Michigan Consumer Expectations / Sentiment (10:00 a.m. ET).

Costco's Same-Store Sales

Despite posting good financial earnings results on Thursday, shares of Costco $COST ( ▼ 0.21% ) fell 0.88% in after-hours trading.

Financials: Costco reported earnings of $5.87 per share in the past quarter and revenue of $86.15 billion. Both were better than expected.

Details: The company’s international business jumped 8.6% and its e-commerce business grew by 13.6%.

Powering the Story: Same-store sales were up 5.7%, which sounds good, except same-store sales grew 6.4% during the same period last year. This suggests a slowdown in growth.

Final Thoughts: Costco’s U.S. business is growing but at a slower rate than its international business.

Bitcoin Falls Amid Liquidations

The price of Bitcoin $BTC.X ( ▼ 3.56% ) fell about 3% on Thursday due to more leveraged positions in cryptocurrency becoming liquidated.

Also: More money came out of Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) than money that came in, reversing a long trend.

Final Thoughts: Bitcoin is down over 6% in the last week.

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The contents of Early Bird are intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. They do not constitute trade or investment recommendations, and they are not financial or legal advice. Readers are encouraged to consult licensed professionals for personalized guidance regarding their financial or legal situations.