Ep. 19 | Bull or Bear? 2026 Predictions on Office, AI, and Capital Allocation

Powered by HqO - Learn more and join the Quantum City Initiative here: https://www.hqo.com/the-future-of-cities-begins-now/   We’re back for the first episode of the year, and instead of pretending we have crystal-clear answers for 2026, we do what we do best: zoom out, look at the data, and call out what actually feels different this time.    2025 was loud, messy, and very AI-heavy, so we start there, breaking down why this so-called “AI bubble” isn’t behaving like past tech cycles. This isn’t just software hype. It’s physical infrastructure, energy, data centers, and real adoption finally showing up in the numbers.    The “office is dead” narrative continues to fall apart, just not evenly. Leasing is back in a big way in places like New York, Boston, and even San Francisco, but the gap between winners and losers has never been wider. Experiential, flexible, high-quality workplaces are pulling ahead, while everything else keeps sliding. We talk through why the old Class A, B, and C labels are starting to feel useless, and why office is quickly becoming less about square footage and more about experience.   We wrap things up by playing a little bull-or-bear across asset classes, markets, and cities, where we’re bullish, where we’re cautious, and where we’re honestly just waiting to see how things play out. Along the way, we hit data centers, housing affordability, late-stage SaaS, capital finally coming off the sidelines, and a few city calls that spark some pushback. It’s a loose but grounded start to the year, focused less on dramatic predictions and more on how AI, office, and capital are quietly lining up as the next cycle takes shape.   Stay Connected: Subscribe to the newsletter for insights & event invites Share your feedback — we love hearing from you! Follow us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/hqo/  Twitter https://x.com/hqoapp Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hqoapp TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@hqo_official    TIMESTAMPS: 00:38 Podcast Beginnings and Achievements 01:07 Year in Review: Highlights and Predictions 01:27 Corporate Purchases of Homes: Trump's Stance 04:20 AI Industrial Bubble: 2025 Recap 09:04 Data Centers and AI Infrastructure 15:53 Commercial Real Estate: Office Market Trends 26:10 Future of Brokerage and Flex Spaces 29:10 Bull or Bear: Asset Class Predictions 30:26 Bull Case for Experiential Retail 31:43 Bearish Outlook on Single Family and Multifamily Housing 34:13 Office Market Predictions 34:29 Bullish Sentiment on Public Markets 36:07 Late Stage SaaS Comeback 40:21 City Predictions: Winners and Losers 44:17 Wild Card Predictions for 2026