Theses 12 / 20 WATCH published 05 Apr 2026 · updated 07 May 2026 · v31

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.

+50.1pp
Basket vs S&P 500since published — the verdict number
Basket absolute+65.7% · 4 instruments
S&P 500 same period+15.6%
Call directionWatch

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

InstrumentPriceTodaySince publishedvs SPY90d
DDOGDatadog 223.84 -5.6% +92.1% +76.5pp
MDBMongoDB 434.21 -4.2% +70.3% +54.7pp
NETCloudflare 285.51 -6.4% +34.8% +19.2pp
SPYS&P 500 — benchmark 761.78 -0.7% +15.6%
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, +34.4% since published; The SaaS Apocalypse, +54.7% since published. They stay on the board. We update priors on evidence, not on evidence we went looking for.