The February 2026 big tech sell-off has rattled investors with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD), posting sharp post-earnings declines.
MSFT stock’s $360 billion one-session drop was especially jarring since it followed an otherwise impressive earnings report and appears to have happened due to the revelation about the extreme exposure to OpenAI.
As volatility grips the tech sector, Finbold turned to ChatGPT to identify two stocks to buy during the February pullback.
ChatGPT weighs in on the February big tech crash
Perhaps critically for its recommendations, ChatGPT started by weighing in on the technology sector downturn. Specifically, OpenAI’s flagship model acknowledged the crash that started in earnest in late January but was quick to dismiss it.
Indeed, according to the AI, the downturn is nothing more than a cyclical correction that bears no systemic risk to the industry or the market.
As evidence for this assessment, ChatGPT highlighted that the actual business results unveiled in recent earnings have, generally, been strong.
OpenAI’s main platform also opined that the uneven performance of various technology stocks depending on their main niche also showcases that no true major crash has started.
Considering its take on the downturn, it might come as little surprise that both stock ChatGPT recommended buying are from the technology basket.
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)
Despite anticipating somewhat slower growth for the company, the AI recommended Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) stock as its first pick for February.
AAPL shares are expected to remain stable and to trade positively due to the stability of the underlying business of hardware and services, according to ChatGPT.
The platform also pointed toward strong consumer demand for Apple’s electronics as a sign of resilience and toward the firm’s large balance sheet as a curtain wall against industry drama.
Finally, amidst the fears of an AI bubble, ChatGPT highlighted that AAPL stock’s price-to-earnings (P/E) and earnings per share (EPS) don’t position the big tech giant as particularly overvalued, limiting the impact of any potential deeper market-wide correction.
At press time on February 20, Apple shares are down 4% year-to-date (YTD) but, at $260.90, 5.35% in the green in the last 30 days, reinforcing ChatGPT’s argument that the latest crash has been far from universal.
Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT)
Considering the fact that Microsoft stock suffered a far greater correction than AAPL shares and is 17.39% down YTD and 10.03% in the last 30 days to its press time price of $399.57, MSFT might be the AI’s more contentious pick.
Still, ChatGPT was confident that Microsoft’s sheer size and leadership in cloud services via Azure and artificial intelligence, with its relationship with OpenAI and its own products makes MSFT a solid investment.
Furthermore, the AI platform took the recent correction as another part of the bull case, explaining that, at its current valuation, the technology giant is actually trading at a discount, possibly reinforcing the ‘growth’ aspect of the ‘blue chip defensive growth play in tech’ description it gave to the Bill Gates-founded company.
