Theses 12 / 20 WATCH published 05 Apr 2026 · updated 06 Sept 2026 · v33

The Agent Runtime Layer

A new computational layer is crystallising between models and applications — the agent runtime. This is where orchestration, tool use, memory, and identity live. The question of who controls this layer is the central competitive battleground.

+45.6pp
Basket vs S&P 500since published — the verdict number
Basket absolute+61.5% · 4 instruments
S&P 500 same period+15.8%
Call directionWatch

No directional call — this basket is the thesis’s instrument panel.

InstrumentPriceTodaySince publishedvs SPY90d
DDOGDatadog 247.11 -7.2% +112.1% +96.3pp —
NETCloudflare 296.30 -6.3% +39.9% +24.1pp —
MDBMongoDB 337.57 -7.9% +32.4% +16.5pp —
SPYS&P 500 — benchmark 763.25 -1.1% +15.8% — —
Basket: Instrument panel: where the runtime layer accrues if the thesis holds

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When we're wrong

2 theses are currently moving against us — Microsoft Has Lost the Plot, +41.9% since published; The SaaS Apocalypse, +50.2% since published. They stay on the board. We update priors on evidence, not on evidence we went looking for.