New York, Jan 20, 2026, 07:12 EST
- CoreWeave shares slipped roughly 5.7% in premarket trading, following a strong rally in the previous session
- Commentary has picked up recently, with investors weighing if growth can outpace leverage and cash burn
- CoreWeave’s sizable backlog and multi-billion-dollar contracts with customers continue to fuel the bullish outlook
CoreWeave’s stock dropped 5.7% to $95.40 in premarket trading Tuesday, down from roughly $101 at the close of the previous session, per Google Finance. 1
This matters since CoreWeave now acts as a high-beta proxy for the AI infrastructure sector — a segment where revenues can spike sharply, yet funding demands often overshadow all else.
Traders rushed to buy on the upside, then pulled back just as fast. This back-and-forth isn’t limited to mega-caps—it’s played out across smaller AI-linked stocks as well.
A Seeking Alpha columnist rated CoreWeave a “buy” on Monday, saying recent dips provide a more attractive entry. They highlighted the company’s backlog and previous contract wins as key positives. At the same time, the author noted CoreWeave’s negative free cash flow and a high debt-to-equity ratio. The piece also revealed the columnist holds long positions in both CoreWeave and Meta, according to the publication. 2
Separate sector data from Simply Wall St revealed CoreWeave jumped roughly 13% in the past week, while the wider U.S. IT sector barely moved. 3
Backlog represents the value of work signed under customer contracts but not yet recognized as revenue. Bulls see it as a glimpse into future sales, while bears zero in on the capex, GPUs, and power needed to fulfill those orders.
CoreWeave’s headline-grabbing $14.2 billion contract with Meta in 2025 didn’t quell debate—it intensified it. Emarketer analyst Jacob Bourne flagged the sector’s web of deals could “spark bubble concerns,” despite demand branching out beyond just a handful of AI giants, Reuters reported. 4
CoreWeave has deepened its ties with OpenAI. “We are proud to expand our relationship with OpenAI,” CEO Michael Intrator said in a statement. OpenAI’s Peter Hoeschele described CoreWeave as “an important partner” in its wider infrastructure strategy, according to a company release. 5
CoreWeave’s latest quarterly update showed third-quarter revenue hitting roughly $1.36 billion, with a revenue backlog reaching $55.6 billion as of Sept. 30, 2025. Intrator highlighted the company is “almost doubling our revenue backlog to more than $55 billion,” according to the release. 6
The competitive landscape is tangled. CoreWeave provides GPU-heavy compute capacity that directly overlaps with offerings from hyperscalers. At the same time, investors are trading smaller infrastructure players like Iris Energy and Nebius amid shifting sentiment on AI capex.
But the downside risks remain. CoreWeave faces the challenge of funding massive expansions, retaining key clients, and steering clear of any credit crunch or slowdown in AI budgets. On top of that, chip shortages and data-center power issues could easily turn what looks like demand into postponed sales.
Investors seem set to view the stock as a test case: will AI infrastructure economics develop quickly enough to support current valuations, or will the funding bill intervene before that happens?
