C3.ai, Inc. (AI) Stock Price & How to Invest
Last updated July 2026
Short answer
You can invest in C3.ai, Inc. (AI) by buying shares or fractional shares at any major US broker, through a technology or software ETF that holds it, or as one holding in a thematic basket. C3.ai is an enterprise AI software company: it sells a platform and a large library of prebuilt applications that let big organizations build, deploy, and run AI and, increasingly, agentic-AI systems for uses like predictive maintenance, fraud detection, supply chain, and defense. It makes money mainly from software subscriptions, plus some services, often sold alongside cloud partners like Microsoft, AWS, and Google. The single most important thing to understand is that this is a high-risk, unprofitable, small-cap turnaround story: revenue fell sharply in fiscal 2026, the company is restructuring, and founder Tom Siebel returned as CEO, so the thesis is speculative rather than a proven grower.
AI stock price
As of 2026-07-14, C3.ai, Inc. (AI) last closed at $9.10, down 66.0% over the past year. Over the past 52 weeks it has traded between $7.76 and $29.16.
Prices are daily closing prices from Yahoo Finance and may be delayed. For the live quote, check your broker or C3.ai, Inc.'s investor relations page. Walnut is informational, not investment advice.
What does C3.ai, Inc. (AI) do?
C3.ai, Inc. is an enterprise AI software company. Its core product is a platform for building, deploying, and operating large-scale AI applications, along with a catalog of more than 100 prebuilt and configurable applications for industries such as manufacturing, energy, financial services, defense, and government. Typical uses include predictive maintenance, anti-money-laundering, supply-chain optimization, and, more recently, generative and agentic AI. C3.ai makes money mainly from software subscriptions (the large majority of revenue), supplemented by professional services, and it goes to market heavily through partnerships with hyperscalers and consultancies including Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, Baker Hughes, and Booz Allen.
The investment picture in 2026 is a turnaround under stress. For fiscal 2026 (ended in the spring), revenue was about $250 million, down roughly 23% from about $389 million the prior year, with a large non-GAAP loss reported around $498 million as the company absorbed restructuring charges and a sales-model overhaul. Management is shifting toward transformation-led, consumption-based deals, cutting headcount and marketing spend, and leaning on its partner ecosystem. Founder Thomas Siebel resumed the CEO role in May 2026 after stepping back in 2025 for health reasons, with Stephen Ehikian staying on as president. C3.ai still carries a sizable cash and marketable-securities balance (around $673 million as of June 2026), which funds the reset, but it remains deeply unprofitable and its revenue has been volatile. Its highest-profile rival, Palantir, has gained momentum while C3.ai has retrenched, sharpening questions about C3.ai's competitive position.
What's driving C3.ai, Inc. (AI)?
1. Enterprise and agentic-AI demand
C3.ai sells into the broad enterprise-AI theme, and its R&D is now focused on agentic AI, generative AI, and industry-specific applications. If large organizations accelerate adoption of packaged AI and agentic systems, C3.ai's prebuilt-application approach could win deals faster than building from scratch. The bull case rests on that demand translating into renewed subscription growth after fiscal 2026's sharp decline, which is far from guaranteed.
2. Turnaround and sales-model reset
Under a board-approved restructuring, C3.ai cut headcount and marketing spend and is shifting to transformation-led, consumption-based deals meant to improve sales velocity and efficiency. Founder Tom Siebel's return as CEO in May 2026 is central to the reset. Whether these changes stabilize revenue and narrow losses, rather than simply shrinking the business, is the pivotal question for the story over the next several quarters.
3. Partner ecosystem and key accounts
C3.ai relies heavily on hyperscaler and consultancy partners (Microsoft Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, Booz Allen) to source and deliver deals, and on marquee accounts like its Baker Hughes joint venture in energy. Baker Hughes has been a large but shrinking share of revenue, falling from roughly 35% in fiscal 2023 toward the high teens, so diversifying beyond concentrated accounts while keeping partners engaged is important to durable growth.
4. Balance sheet and cash runway
C3.ai ended fiscal 2026 with roughly $673 million in cash and marketable securities and no meaningful debt, which gives it runway to fund the turnaround despite ongoing losses. That cushion is a genuine strength for a company burning cash. The key watch item is how quickly the reset reduces the burn, because a small, unprofitable software company living off its balance sheet must eventually reach sustainable economics.
What are the risks to C3.ai, Inc. (AI)?
The dominant risk is that this is an unprofitable, small-cap turnaround with declining revenue: fiscal 2026 sales fell about 23% and losses were large, so the business must prove it can stabilize and grow again rather than keep shrinking. Competitive risk is real, as better-capitalized rivals like Palantir have gained momentum and hyperscalers offer overlapping AI tooling, and some partners are also potential competitors. Revenue concentration in a few large accounts, and the shift to consumption-based deals, can make results lumpy and hard to forecast. Leadership transition risk is elevated after the CEO change and the founder's health-related step-back. The stock is volatile and sentiment-driven, trades on the AI theme as much as fundamentals, and could dilute shareholders or burn through cash if the reset takes longer than expected.
How is C3.ai, Inc. (AI) valued? (approximate, Jul 2026)
A simple financial snapshot. These are approximations and refresh quarterly; for current figures see C3.ai, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker.
- Revenue (FY2026): ~$250 million, down ~23% year over year (approximate; verify live)
- Net result (FY2026): Large loss; non-GAAP loss reported around ~$498 million (approximate; verify live)
- Revenue mix: Mostly subscription (roughly ~90%+ in recent quarters); rest services (approximate; verify live)
- Cash and securities: ~$673 million as of June 2026, minimal debt (approximate; verify live)
- Market cap: ~$1.5 billion, small-cap (approximate; verify live)
- Profitability: Not profitable on a GAAP or non-GAAP basis (qualitative)
Figures are approximate and tied to the asOf date; verify live numbers before acting. Because C3.ai is unprofitable, earnings multiples like P/E do not apply in a normal way, and investors often look at price-to-sales, revenue trend, cash burn, and runway instead. The central question is not valuation on current earnings but whether the turnaround can reverse the revenue decline and move the company toward sustainable economics, which is inherently speculative.
Who competes with C3.ai, Inc. (AI)?
Enterprise AI and data-platform rivals
Palantir is C3.ai's most-cited direct rival and has gained momentum while C3.ai has retrenched, with faster and steadier revenue growth. Others building large-scale AI and data-analytics platforms, including Databricks and analytics-software vendors, compete for the same enterprise budgets, making this a crowded and well-funded field.
Hyperscalers and cloud AI providers
Microsoft (Azure AI), Amazon (AWS), and Google Cloud are partners to C3.ai but also offer their own AI and machine-learning tooling that can substitute for parts of its platform. Their scale, distribution, and bundled pricing make them a structural competitive force, so C3.ai must stay differentiated on prebuilt applications and industry depth.
Enterprise software and SI incumbents
Large application and enterprise-software vendors such as Salesforce, SAP, and IBM increasingly embed AI into their suites, while systems integrators build custom AI solutions. These incumbents compete for the same digital-transformation spend and represent an alternative, more diversified way to invest in enterprise AI than a pure-play like C3.ai.
How to invest in C3.ai, Inc. (AI)
There are three common ways to get AI exposure. Buy shares (or fractional shares) directly at any major broker. Hold an ETF that includes it, which spreads the position across many companies. Or build it into a focused thematic basket, so AI sits alongside other stocks that express the same thesis.
Walnut takes the basket route. Describe a thesis where AI fits (for example “AI infrastructure” or “dividend-growth large-caps”) and the AI proposes 5 to 6 constituents with target weights. You review the plan and fund it through your own broker when you're ready.
The bottom line on C3.ai, Inc. (AI)
C3.ai is a small, unprofitable enterprise-AI software maker in the middle of a painful reset: fiscal 2026 revenue fell about 23% to roughly $250 million, losses were large, and founder Tom Siebel returned as CEO to steer a restructuring. It is a speculative turnaround bet, not a proven grower, so size any position to that risk.
Build a basket around AI with Walnut
Use C3.ai, Inc. as one constituent in a thematic basket Walnut's AI helps you assemble. Describe a thesis you believe in, the AI proposes the holdings and weights, and you approve before any broker order.
FAQ
Is AI a good stock to buy right now?
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That depends on your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance, and this is not investment advice. The bull case is exposure to enterprise and agentic AI, a large cash cushion, and a founder-led turnaround. The bear case is a small, unprofitable company whose revenue fell about 23% in fiscal 2026, faces momentum-gaining rivals like Palantir, and must prove the reset can restart growth. This is a speculative position, so size it accordingly.
Wait, is ticker AI just a generic AI company?
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No. The ticker AI on the NYSE is C3.ai, Inc., a specific enterprise AI software company founded by Tom Siebel, not a generic index or fund for the AI theme. It is easy to confuse the symbol with the broader technology, so make sure you are researching C3.ai the company. If you want diversified AI exposure instead, a technology or AI-themed ETF holds many names rather than this single stock.
What does C3.ai actually do?
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C3.ai sells enterprise AI software: a platform for building and running large-scale AI applications, plus more than 100 prebuilt applications for industries like energy, manufacturing, financial services, and defense. Common uses include predictive maintenance, fraud detection, and supply-chain optimization, and it is expanding into generative and agentic AI. It earns money mainly from software subscriptions, sold heavily through cloud and consulting partners.
Why did C3.ai's revenue fall in 2026?
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In fiscal 2026, revenue dropped roughly 23% to about $250 million, driven by declines in both subscription and services revenue as the company overhauled its sales model and absorbed a restructuring. Management is shifting toward transformation-led, consumption-based deals and cutting costs. Whether that reset stabilizes and eventually restarts growth, rather than shrinking the business further, is the central open question.
Who is the CEO of C3.ai?
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Founder Thomas Siebel resumed the role of chief executive officer in May 2026, continuing as chairman, after stepping back in 2025 for health reasons. Stephen Ehikian, who had served as CEO in the interim, remained as president. Siebel has said his health issues are largely resolved. The leadership change is central to the turnaround narrative and adds transition risk to the story.
Is C3.ai profitable?
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No. C3.ai remained deeply unprofitable in fiscal 2026, reporting a large loss even on a non-GAAP basis, around $498 million, as revenue fell and it took restructuring charges. It funds operations from a sizable cash and marketable-securities balance of roughly $673 million. Reaching sustainable profitability is a key goal of the turnaround but is not assured, so the burn rate is worth watching.
How does C3.ai compare to Palantir?
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Palantir is C3.ai's most-cited rival, and the two have diverged: Palantir has grown revenue consistently and built momentum, while C3.ai's revenue has been volatile and recently declined. Palantir is far larger and profitable, whereas C3.ai is a small, unprofitable turnaround. They overlap in enterprise and government AI, but they are very different in scale, financial health, and market position.
What are the main risks of investing in AI (C3.ai)?
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The central risk is that it is a small, unprofitable company with falling revenue that must prove it can stabilize and grow again. Competition from Palantir, hyperscalers, and enterprise-software incumbents is intense, some partners are also rivals, and revenue can be concentrated and lumpy. Leadership-transition risk is elevated after the CEO change, and the stock is volatile and sentiment-driven, with dilution or cash burn possible if the reset stalls.
Walnut is informational, not investment advice. Financial figures on this page are approximations; always verify current numbers with C3.ai, Inc.'s investor relations page or your broker before making investment decisions.