CrowdStrike vs Microsoft

Berkshire Hits Highs, CrowdStrike Unveils AI Kill Switch

CNBC's 'Stocks @ Night' newsletter previews key market movers for Wednesday. Berkshire Hathaway shares hit fresh highs, with A shares at $836,445.13 and B shares at $577.07. Upcoming earnings include McDonald's, CVS Health, Kraft Heinz, Uber, Qualcomm, and Arm Holdings. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz unveiled a new 'kill switch' tool to halt AI agents, suggesting it may become mandatory for companies. The stock rose 1.2% following the announcement. The article also notes market reaction to the midterm elections and a 1,500-point Dow rally.

• Berkshire Hathaway A shares hit a record close of $836,445.13 on November 3, 2026.
• CrowdStrike unveiled a new 'kill switch' tool to halt AI agents at a conference in Barcelona.
• CrowdStrike stock rose 1.2% on Tuesday, November 3, following the announcement.

CrowdStrike Acquires Fiddler AI and Dreadnode for ~$500M

CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm, announced the acquisition of two AI security startups: Fiddler AI, which provides observability software for monitoring AI agents, and Dreadnode, which automates security testing for AI models and agents. The deals are valued at approximately $400 million for Fiddler AI and $95 million for Dreadnode. These acquisitions aim to expand CrowdStrike's Falcon platform, with Fiddler AI becoming Falcon Observe and Dreadnode integrated into Falcon Guardian. The move responds to the growing need for AI security as enterprises deploy AI agents at scale, a market forecast by Gartner to reach nearly $5 billion by 2027.

• CrowdStrike to acquire Fiddler AI and Dreadnode for approximately $495 million total.
• Fiddler AI acquired for about $400 million; Dreadnode for about $95 million.
• Fiddler AI will become Falcon Observe; Dreadnode integrated into Falcon Guardian.

Cramer praises CrowdStrike's AI kill switch, backs stock

Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money," endorsed CrowdStrike's new "AI Kill Switch" feature, calling it game-changing for cybersecurity and a significant growth driver for the company. The tool, part of CrowdStrike's Falcon Guardian platform, allows security teams to take control of rogue AI agents that deviate from their intended behavior. Cramer argued this addresses one of the biggest concerns about AI adoption, countering claims by Anthropic and OpenAI that no such kill switch exists. CrowdStrike announced the feature at its Fal.Con conference in Europe. The stock rose about 1% following the news. Cramer's endorsement comes amid a broader industry debate about AI safety and the need for controls. The company's stock has fallen about 12% from its record high in October, but Cramer remains enthusiastic, noting the Club's position and recent partial profit-taking.

• CrowdStrike unveiled an 'AI Kill Switch' feature within its Falcon Guardian platform at the Fal.Con conference in Europe.
• The AI Kill Switch allows security teams to take control of AI agents that stray from their assigned behavior.
• Jim Cramer called the feature game-changing and a significant growth driver for CrowdStrike.

Hidden AI Debt of Tech Giants Nearly Doubles to $3.2 Trillion

According to a Nikkei Asia analysis, the hidden AI-related debts of five major US tech companies—Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle—have surged to approximately $3.2 trillion, a 90% increase since March 2026. These off-balance-sheet obligations stem from 'shadow borrowing' via special purpose vehicles that finance AI infrastructure like data centers and chips, which the companies then lease. The total represents about 80% of their combined assets. Alphabet leads with $1.05 trillion in hidden debt, up 160%. Market confidence is wavering as investors question the return on massive AI investments, contributing to recent stock declines.

• Hidden AI debt of Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle totals approximately $3.2 trillion as of late 2026.
• The hidden debt increased by 90% since March 2026.
• About 60% of the debt consists of purchase commitments and 40% of not-yet-started lease agreements.

ITS Academy Angelo Rizzoli and Microsoft Italia inaugurate the new Server Room to train datacenter and cloud infrastructure specialists

Microsoft Italia and ITS Academy Angelo Rizzoli have inaugurated a new Server Room to train datacenter and cloud infrastructure specialists.

Aker CEO dismisses Microsoft Nscale contract loss as minor

The CEO of Aker ASA, Øyvind Eriksen, the largest investor in UK AI infrastructure startup Nscale, downplayed Microsoft's withdrawal from a data centre deal as a "minor contract". Speaking during Aker's Q3 results presentation, Eriksen reassured investors ahead of Nscale's planned US IPO targeting a $35bn valuation. He noted that since Nscale's Series C funding round, the company's activity and contract portfolio more than doubled, and the termination was expected. Microsoft cancelled the deal to lease compute capacity from Nscale's Essex data centre due to anticipated power supply issues. Nscale is reportedly close to a new multibillion-dollar deal with Anthropic, which would increase its commitment in West Virginia. Aker owns approximately 23% of Nscale, valued at $3.31bn based on the Series C valuation.

• Aker ASA CEO Øyvind Eriksen called Microsoft's cancellation of a data centre deal with Nscale a 'minor contract'.
• Aker owns approximately 23% of Nscale, valued at $3.31bn based on Nscale's Series C valuation.
• Microsoft cancelled the lease agreement due to expected power supply issues at Nscale's Essex data centre.