Dan Ives Is Betting That Apple and Google Will Partner in 2026. Should You Buy AAPL Stock First?

Dan Ives, a well-respected tech analyst for investment bank Wedbush, recently predicted that a “formal,” AI-oriented alliance between Apple (AAPL) and Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) would be announced in 2026 and enable AAPL’s market capitalization to reach $5 trillion next year, versus its current level of slightly over $4 trillion.

While such a formal partnership could very well be unveiled in 2026, evidence strongly indicates that the alliance would not come close to boosting Apple’s market capitalization by nearly 25%. Indeed, it’s difficult to envision a scenario in which a formal partnership between AAPL and GOOG would boost AAPL stock much at all. As a result, I would not recommend that investors buy the company’s shares based on Ives’ prediction.