Part 4/12:
In contrast to the explosive private market activity, the top 10 public AI companies saw only marginal growth—about 10% increase in market cap from June 2024 to June 2025, totaling roughly $20 trillion. Meanwhile, private AI companies experienced a remarkable 130% growth, swelling from $283 billion to $658 billion in valuation.
This divergence underscores that the real action remains in private venture investments and startups. Funding levels for new AI ventures now routinely reach $10 billion, a marker of the sector’s prosperity. Additionally, the time-to-revenue metric has shrunk dramatically; startups are now hitting $10 million in revenue in around one year, down from a decade just a few years ago.