The article profiles three founder-led stocks from its US universe, Sweetgreen, Sprinklr and Spotify Technology, amid heavy AI spending by large tech firms facing pressure to show returns. Sweetgreen, with about US$682 million in revenue and a US$1.18b market cap, recently saw a 6.2% decline in comparable restaurant sales, with a 4.2% negative mix and no price increase. Sprinklr, with about US$872.9 million in revenue and a US$1.6b market cap, is expanding AI functions across its Marketing, Insights and CCaaS products under founder Ragy Thomas. Spotify Technology, with a US$117.6b market cap, generates about €16.9b from Premium subscriptions and €1.9b from ad-supported services, and its AI personalization, including the Large Taste Model, is cited as lifting engagement metrics.
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