Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, sold 86,525 ordinary shares of the company on September 1, 2026, as revealed in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The total value of these transactions was approximately $43.4 million. After these sales, Nadella directly owns 486,762 shares of Microsoft stock. He also holds an additional 431,464 shares indirectly through "Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts" (GRATs), which are legal structures used to transfer assets while minimizing tax liability. The shares were sold at prices ranging from $498.24 to $505.20 per share, following a pre-approved trading plan under Rule 10b5-1, which allows executives to execute trades without being influenced by market fluctuations. Microsoft’s stock is currently trading at around $496.82, with a market capitalization of $369 billion. Over the past six months, the stock has risen by 23 percent. Since Nadella took over as CEO in 2014, Microsoft's stock price has grown nearly tenfold, with an annual growth rate of 27 percent—ending a long period of stagnation. His compensation in 2024 was $79.1 million, a 63 percent increase from the previous year. In recent months, the term "bubble" has become common in discussions about the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. This refers to a situation where asset prices rise rapidly due to excessive speculation, often beyond actual value. The AI bubble is fueled by massive investments, ambitious but sometimes vague promises, and a global race to dominate computing power. However, signs of a potential collapse are emerging, with growing concerns about the profitability of AI projects and comparisons to the infamous Internet bubble of the early 2000s. Author Edward Zitron has criticized the AI bubble, arguing it is maintained by "deceptive industrial promises." He points out a significant gap between the rapid sales of processors and the slow development of data centers, which are hindered by energy and logistical challenges. Zitron also accuses tech companies of hiding these delays while promoting workarounds to bypass export restrictions to China. Reports suggest that AI assistants, while expensive, often produce unreliable code and suffer from "hallucinations," or incorrect outputs. Despite these concerns, Microsoft continues to position itself as a leader in AI infrastructure and cloud computing, with ongoing strategic investments and collaborations.