Thanks to Microsoft’s early leadership in artificial intelligence, the software heavyweight’s stock value is poised to decisively surpass Apple’s in the next five years, the company agreed. Thirteen institutional investors unanimously ahead of the quarterly effects of tech titans this week. Microsoft shares are up 7% so far in 2024, recently pushing its stock price above $3 trillion and dethroning Apple as the world’s most valuable company. As of Friday, the Redmond, Washington-based software maker’s market capitalization was a few billion dollars larger than Apple’s.