New York, Jan 27, 2026, 12:23 EST
- Cloudflare shares jumped roughly 14% on Tuesday, building on a two-day surge fueled by hype around a viral AI agent.
- Renamed Moltbot, the agent has sparked fresh speculation that “agentic” AI might boost internet traffic and ramp up usage-based revenue.
- Cloudflare will report earnings on Feb. 10, offering a near-term test to see if the buzz translates into sales.
Cloudflare’s stock climbed roughly 14% Tuesday, building on Monday’s gains, fueled by buzz around a viral AI agent. By midday, shares were trading near $215.02 as investors jumped on the internet infrastructure player.
This shift is significant as investors weigh the future of AI trading: agentic AI, which executes tasks independently instead of merely responding to prompts. If these tools begin to traverse the web widely, companies managing and securing that traffic might benefit.
This comes just ahead of Cloudflare’s Feb. 10 earnings report. Investors will be watching closely for any indication that AI-driven activity is translating into actual billable demand, not just a weekend spike of developer excitement.
Developers working with the agent — initially called “Clawdbot” — tap into Cloudflare’s low-latency network for secure connections while running it locally, Reuters reported. Joshua Tilton, an analyst at Wolfe Research, noted Cloudflare is well placed to benefit as these tools ramp up and generate more API calls, the automated software-to-software requests. CEO Matthew Prince told analysts that around 80% of top AI companies already rely on Cloudflare, adding future agents “would have to pass through our network and abide by its rules.” (Reuters)
Cloudflare offers security and performance services via a worldwide “edge” network—servers positioned near users—and typically bills based on consumption, or usage. The more automated browsing, checks, and requests you make, the higher the meter ticks.
Barron’s reports that the tool, now called Moltbot, is a locally hosted assistant built on Anthropic’s Claude. It handles tasks like email, calendars, and flight check-ins, with integrations for apps including iMessage and WhatsApp. Online posts also highlight Cloudflare Tunnel—a method to establish an encrypted connection without revealing a public internet address—as a key part of how developers keep the agent’s links secure. (Barron’s)
On Tuesday, the project renamed itself from Clawdbot to Moltbot following trademark issues raised by Anthropic. (Forbes)
Cloudflare goes head-to-head with Akamai and Fastly in content delivery and web security, but it’s also betting big on its network’s ability to handle and monitor AI-driven traffic. That claim is now being put to the test in the open.
The connection between a viral bot and Cloudflare’s revenue remains tenuous. Barron’s pointed out that Moltbot might not bring much direct financial gain, and it’s unclear how much extra traffic one open-source tool can drive over time or how long the hype endures.
Cloudflare shares had dropped roughly 32% following a series of service outages and weaker momentum, according to Barron’s. But this week’s sharp rebound highlights just how quickly investor sentiment can shift once a fresh AI story grabs attention.
The next update lands fast. On Feb. 10, Cloudflare’s results will reveal if “agentic” AI is genuinely driving traffic or if the hype was just a catchy ticker symbol with little substance.
