1 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: Media greetums. I'm at xytron and this is better offline. 2 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,280 Speaker 1: In my last episode, I started by telling you about 3 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: a report from the analyst wing of a major bank, 4 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: TD Cohen that revealed how Microsoft had drastically pulled back 5 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:30,480 Speaker 1: on its plans to build new data center capacity. At 6 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: a bare minimum, Microsoft had canceled the equivalent of every 7 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 1: data center in London or Tokyo at least, that the 8 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:39,559 Speaker 1: real figure is actually probably much much higher, and as 9 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: I pointed out, that this is a real pale horse, 10 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: a harbinger of bad times through generative AI and open 11 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: AI especially, and an indicator that the bubble is imploding 12 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: or popping or I really don't want to say it's popped, 13 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:54,360 Speaker 1: and I actually don't know if it's necessary to say 14 00:00:54,360 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: when it does, it's never going to be one thing. 15 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: I also mentioned that some may interpret this movie as 16 00:00:59,720 --> 00:01:02,600 Speaker 1: a sponds to open AI's Stargate project, which aims to 17 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: build hundreds of billions of dollars of data centers and 18 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:08,119 Speaker 1: power generation facilities in the US, all to power generator 19 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,440 Speaker 1: FAI apps and tools that I'm not sure actually there's 20 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,840 Speaker 1: really the demand for. But this begs the question how 21 00:01:14,840 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 1: feasible is the Stargate project. Let's start with a bit 22 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: of background. The Stargate project was officially announced that the 23 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: very beginning of the Trump presidency. Is open AI tried 24 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: to court favor from the notoriously transactional and praise hungry 25 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:28,959 Speaker 1: person of the United States of America, despite that the 26 00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 1: project has been in the works for some time and 27 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: open AI had previously courted the Biden administration. Sam Allman's 28 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 1: previous pitch to that administration late last year was that 29 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:39,720 Speaker 1: it was necessary to build a five gigaw what data center. 30 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: We don't know how big Stargate will be, just that 31 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: it will initially involve spending one hundred billion dollars due 32 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: and I quote developed data centers for artificial intelligence in 33 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: the US according to the information, with the project potentially 34 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:54,480 Speaker 1: scaling to five hundred billion dollars, a truly fucking, astoundingly 35 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: stupid number. Stargate's first and only data center deal currently 36 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: signed is in Abilene, Texas, and it's expected to be 37 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: operational in mid twenty twenty six. Though these centers usually 38 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: become operational in phases, this is especially likely to be 39 00:02:08,320 --> 00:02:11,320 Speaker 1: the case here considering that, according to the information. Open 40 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:14,360 Speaker 1: Ai plans to have access to a gigawat of power 41 00:02:14,360 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: on hundreds of thousands of GPUs. As part of this, 42 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: the Stargate project will construct a three hundred and sixty 43 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: point five megawatt natural gas power station. And as I 44 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: said last episode, that one's about power. This power station is, 45 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: as far as I can tell, still in the permitting phase. 46 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 1: It'll be some time before Stargate breaks ground on the facility, 47 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: let alone starts to actually generate power. Now, as for funding, 48 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: things have got a little weird. Both open ai and 49 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: soft Bank have committed to putting in either eighteen billion 50 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: or nineteen million dollars each into the project. I've seen 51 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: both numbers reported, by the way. Regardless, it's not that 52 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: big a difference to worry about, especially with well the 53 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,560 Speaker 1: fact that open ai does not really have the money 54 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: either way. What's a billion dollars when you don't have anything. 55 00:02:56,720 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: The company is currently trying to raise forty billion dollars 56 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 1: at a two hundred sixty billion dollar valuation, with the 57 00:03:01,720 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: quote CNBC part of the funding expected to be used 58 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: for open AI's commitment to Stargate. Now, I'm old enough 59 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: to remember when this round was previously rumored to be 60 00:03:11,040 --> 00:03:13,400 Speaker 1: valuing open Ai at three hundred and forty billion dollars 61 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: and also at three hundred billion dollars, and soft Bank 62 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,600 Speaker 1: appears to be taking full responsibility for raising the round, 63 00:03:18,639 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: including syndicating as much as ten billion dollars of the amount, 64 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: which means that it would include a group of other investors. Nevertheless, 65 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: it certainly seems SoftBank will provide the majority of the 66 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:31,200 Speaker 1: capital thirty billion dollars, with CNBC reporting that it will 67 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:33,480 Speaker 1: be paid out over the next twelve to twenty four months, 68 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:36,440 Speaker 1: with the first payment coming as soon as spring. Soft 69 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: Bank also has another problem, and this one's this one. 70 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: I think even the least technical of you can understand. 71 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,280 Speaker 1: They also appear to not have the money. They don't 72 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:47,560 Speaker 1: have the money. They not the money to give open Ai, 73 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: not the money for Stargate. It's a little bit of 74 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: worrying math issues with this. According to the Information, SoftBank 75 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:56,960 Speaker 1: CEO Masayoshi's Sun is planning to borrow sixteen billion dollars 76 00:03:57,000 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 1: to invest in Ai, and may borrow another eight billion 77 00:03:59,400 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 1: dollars next year. The following points, by the way, are 78 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: drawn from the Information's reporting, and I give serious props 79 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: to Duro Osawa and Corey Weinberg for their hard work here. 80 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,160 Speaker 1: I attack the information sometimes with some of the framing, 81 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: but they actually do some of the best reporting in 82 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,880 Speaker 1: tech journalism. Now let's do some maths. Soft Bank currently 83 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:17,760 Speaker 1: only has thirty one billion dollars in cash and its 84 00:04:17,800 --> 00:04:20,480 Speaker 1: balance sheet as of December twenty twenty four. It's net debt, 85 00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:22,680 Speaker 1: which despite what you think, does not measure total debt, 86 00:04:22,680 --> 00:04:25,919 Speaker 1: but rather represents its cash minus any debt liabilities, sounds 87 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: at twenty nine billion dollars. They plan to use the 88 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: loaning question to finance part of their investment in open Ai, 89 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: and there are acquisition of chip design firm Ampere. According 90 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,800 Speaker 1: to SoftBank's reported assets, its holdings are worth about two 91 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,559 Speaker 1: hundred and nineteen billion dollars, so thirty three point sixty 92 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,719 Speaker 1: six trillion yen for those of you who deal with yen, 93 00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: including stock in companies like Alibaba and ARM. On a 94 00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: side note, not every company in soft Bank's portfolio is 95 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 1: an arm or an Alibaba or like a good one. 96 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,599 Speaker 1: There are some real stinkers too, and I'm not just 97 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: talking about the Morrobon carcass of we work. I recommend 98 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,240 Speaker 1: you look at and I'll link to the list in 99 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:02,320 Speaker 1: the episode of notes SoftBank's recent group report, which is 100 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,719 Speaker 1: linked in the spreadsheet. Like I just said, which is 101 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: me reading a script out a little behind the curtain 102 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,760 Speaker 1: for you there. In particular, got to twenty nine in 103 00:05:09,839 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: the report, which lists the ten largest publicly traded companies 104 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: in soft Bank's Vision Fund portfolio. Now how all of them, 105 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: without exception trade at a significant fraction of their peak market cap. 106 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,880 Speaker 1: In simpler terms, the ten biggest companies in soft Bank's 107 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 1: flagship tech fund are worth far far less than their 108 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: all time high, and in some cases with less than 109 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: one fifth of their all time high. If soft Bank 110 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: liquidated its assets, and I admit this is a big 111 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: ear for most likely a worst case scenario situation, how 112 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,720 Speaker 1: big would their losses be? Separately, SoftBank has committed to 113 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,640 Speaker 1: a joint venture called SBO open Ai Japan and to 114 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: spend three billion dollars a year on open Ai. Is 115 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,560 Speaker 1: take for the various companies across its group. We'll talk 116 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: about that later, but there's some napkin mass. It is 117 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: what soft Banks agreed to sixteen billion dollars sorry, eighteen 118 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: billion dollars or nineteen billion dollars really do not know 119 00:05:55,960 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 1: in funding for the Stargate Data Center project, three billion 120 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:01,880 Speaker 1: dollars a year in spend on open ai software, and 121 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,280 Speaker 1: as much as thirty billion dollars in funding for open 122 00:06:04,279 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: Ai paid over twelve to twenty four months, according to 123 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: the Information, and by the way, twenty five billion has 124 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:12,120 Speaker 1: also been reported. But the Information reports that open Ai 125 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:14,159 Speaker 1: has told investors that soft Bank will provide it at 126 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,839 Speaker 1: least thirty billion dollars of the forty billion dollars they need. 127 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: Jesus fucking Christ. Can you imagine if this went It's 128 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: something useful anyway, What I'm getting at is that soft 129 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: Bank has effectively agreed to bankroll the entirety of open 130 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: AI's future, signing up for over forty six billion dollars 131 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:32,080 Speaker 1: of investments over the next few years, and does not 132 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 1: appear to be able to do so without selling its 133 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:36,680 Speaker 1: current holdings in valuable companies like arm or taking at 134 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: least sixteen billion dollars of debt this year, representing a 135 00:06:39,680 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 1: fifty five percent increase of its current liabilities. Work still, 136 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 1: thanks to disagreement, open AI's future both in its ability 137 00:06:46,200 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: to expand its infrastructure, which appears to be entirely contingent 138 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: on the construction of Stargate with Microsoft pulling out, and 139 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: its ability to raise funding, which is also entirely dependent 140 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:59,000 Speaker 1: on soft bank and soft Bank in this case, where 141 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: open ai is entirely dependent on soft Bank to live, 142 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:06,000 Speaker 1: must borrow money to give to open Ai, a company 143 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:11,640 Speaker 1: that only only loses money. On top of that, open 144 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:14,800 Speaker 1: Ai also on the money losing front, anticipates it will 145 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: burn as much as forty billion dollars a year by 146 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: twenty twenty eight, and projects to only turn a profit 147 00:07:19,240 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: by the end of the decade after the build out 148 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: of Stargate, which I add is, like I said, almost 149 00:07:27,040 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: entirely dependent on soft bank, which has to take on 150 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 1: debt to fund both open Ai and the project required 151 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 1: to theoretically make open ai profitable. How the fuck does 152 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:40,600 Speaker 1: this work? How does this work? How does this work? 153 00:07:40,640 --> 00:07:42,560 Speaker 1: How does this work? How the fuck does this work? 154 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,680 Speaker 1: Open Ai, a company that spent nine billion dollars to 155 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: lose five billion dollars in twenty twenty four, requires so 156 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: much money to be its obligations, both to cover its stupid, ruinous, unprofitable, 157 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,560 Speaker 1: unsustainable operations and the eighteen billion to nineteen billion dollars. 158 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: A committed to keep growing that it has to raise 159 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,679 Speaker 1: more money than any startup ever raised in history, forty 160 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:04,480 Speaker 1: billion fucking dollars, with the cast iron guarantee that it 161 00:08:04,480 --> 00:08:08,320 Speaker 1: will need even more money within a year. Every goddamn month, 162 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:10,679 Speaker 1: Sam Wilton has to go to someone and say, my huge, 163 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:13,320 Speaker 1: beautiful company is so powerful, but it's weak and sick 164 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: and frail. I need more money than you have today, 165 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:17,480 Speaker 1: and I'll need more money than you'll have tomorrow. My 166 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:19,400 Speaker 1: company is so sick and weak, but it's the most 167 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:24,160 Speaker 1: powerful company of all time. Sam flipping off pisces me off. 168 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: Imagine if this money went literally anywhere else, you could 169 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,560 Speaker 1: set it on fire at least be fucking warm. Soft Bank. 170 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 1: On top of the thirty billion dollars of funding and 171 00:08:33,120 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: three billion dollars a year of revenue it's committed to, 172 00:08:35,440 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: open ai itself also has to cough up eighteen billion 173 00:08:38,240 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: dollars for Stargate, the data center project that open ai 174 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: will run and get this. Soft Bank will take financial 175 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 1: responsibility for forty eight billion dollars in cash three billion 176 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: dollars in revenue. You the latter of which, like all 177 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: open AI's offerings, will lose the company money. Open Ai 178 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: has no path to profitability guaranteeing it will need more 179 00:08:58,600 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: cash and right now at the time time, and it 180 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,920 Speaker 1: needs it more than it's ever needed it. Soft Bank, 181 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:05,080 Speaker 1: the only company willing to provide it and possibly the 182 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: only company with the money to do so, has proven 183 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:09,760 Speaker 1: that it will have to go to greet possibly ruinous 184 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:12,840 Speaker 1: lengths to do so. If open ai needs forty billion 185 00:09:12,880 --> 00:09:14,800 Speaker 1: dollars in twenty twenty five, how much will it need 186 00:09:14,840 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 1: in twenty twenty six fifty billion, one hundred billion dollars. 187 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:21,040 Speaker 1: Where is that money going to come from? While soft 188 00:09:21,040 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: Bank might be able to do this once, what happens 189 00:09:23,120 --> 00:09:25,480 Speaker 1: when open ai needs money in six to twelve months. 190 00:09:25,600 --> 00:09:27,960 Speaker 1: Soft Bank made about fifteen billion dollars a profit in 191 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,240 Speaker 1: the last year on about forty six billion dollars of revenue. 192 00:09:31,440 --> 00:09:34,079 Speaker 1: Three billion dollars is an absolutely obscene amount to commit 193 00:09:34,080 --> 00:09:37,040 Speaker 1: to buying open ai software annually, especially when some of 194 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 1: it is allegedly for access to open AI's barely functional 195 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: operator and mediocre deep research products. As per my previous 196 00:09:44,280 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: podcasts and pieces, I do not see how open ai survives, 197 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,240 Speaker 1: and soft Bank's involvement only gives me further concern. While 198 00:09:51,240 --> 00:09:54,280 Speaker 1: soft banker theoretically burn its current holdings to fund open 199 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,960 Speaker 1: Ai in perpetuity, its ability to do so is cast 200 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Speaker 1: into doubt by them having to borrow money from other 201 00:09:59,080 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: banks to get into this funding ground and to get 202 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:05,720 Speaker 1: Stargate done. Open Ai burned five billion dollars in twenty 203 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: twenty four, a number it will likely double in twenty 204 00:10:08,440 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: twenty five. And remember the information reported that open ai 205 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: was projected to spend thirteen billion dollars on compute alone 206 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: with Microsoft in twenty twenty five, and has no path 207 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 1: to profitability. SoftBank has already had to borrow to fund 208 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: this round, and the fact that it had to do 209 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 1: so suggests its inability to continue supporting open Ai without 210 00:10:26,200 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: accruing further debt. Open Ai. As a result of Microsoft's cuts, 211 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:34,040 Speaker 1: the data center capacity now only has one path expansion 212 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: once it runs through whatever remaining buildout Microsoft has planned. 213 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:40,680 Speaker 1: That is, and that's Stargate, a project funded by open 214 00:10:40,760 --> 00:10:44,440 Speaker 1: AI's contribution, which it's receiving from SoftBank and SoftBank which 215 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:47,079 Speaker 1: is also having to take out loans to meet its share. 216 00:10:47,760 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: How does this work exactly? How does this continue? Do 217 00:10:51,360 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: you see anyone else stepping up to fund this. Who 218 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:56,400 Speaker 1: else has got thirty to forty billion dollars to shit 219 00:10:56,440 --> 00:10:59,840 Speaker 1: out every year? While the answer is Saudi Arabia. SoftBank's 220 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: CEO Massioshi Son recently said that he had had and 221 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: I quote not given Saudi ruler Muhammed bin Salmon in 222 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:10,199 Speaker 1: our return, adding that he still owed him. That's really 223 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:13,720 Speaker 1: not the ideal thing you want to say after naming MBS. 224 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 1: Nothing about this suggests that Saudi money will follow soft 225 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: banks in anywhere near the volume necessary. As to the 226 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:21,599 Speaker 1: m ratis. They're already involved through the MGX fund, and 227 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: it's unclear how much more they'd be willing to commit. Really, really, 228 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:31,920 Speaker 1: are really, mate, buddy fellow? How does this? How does 229 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:35,000 Speaker 1: this work? In my opinion, this open Ai soft Bank 230 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:38,040 Speaker 1: deal is wildly unsustainable, dependent on soft Bank continuing to 231 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,080 Speaker 1: raise both debt and funnel money directly into a company 232 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,760 Speaker 1: that burns it burns it by the billions every year, 233 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: and it's said to only burn more thanks to the 234 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,360 Speaker 1: arrival of its latest bullshit model. And if it had 235 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: a huge breakthrough that would change everything. Wouldn't Microsoft want 236 00:11:50,880 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: to make sure they were building the data center capacity 237 00:11:52,800 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 1: to support him? Hey, maybe they're not. Now. Perhaps this 238 00:12:08,360 --> 00:12:11,280 Speaker 1: crazy level of spending would be necessary if open ai 239 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:13,640 Speaker 1: was still the leader in generator of AI and it 240 00:12:13,679 --> 00:12:16,960 Speaker 1: was still meaningfully improving its capabilities year after year or 241 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:19,559 Speaker 1: two year after two years. And I think we all 242 00:12:19,559 --> 00:12:21,960 Speaker 1: know that that isn't the case. A few weeks ago, 243 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:24,800 Speaker 1: open ai launched GPT four point five, it's latest model 244 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:29,560 Speaker 1: that well, this isn't brilliant, sam Alman says, and I quote, 245 00:12:29,600 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: is the first model that feels like talking to a 246 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,000 Speaker 1: thoughtful person, which, by the way, is really funny. It's 247 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 1: really funny to say it, to be like, yeah, I 248 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: have spent billions of dollars telling you that this bullshit 249 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:43,200 Speaker 1: is like a person, but this one really is. The 250 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: other one's not so much. I did not think that 251 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:48,880 Speaker 1: in the past. And it's not obvious what GPT four 252 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,439 Speaker 1: point five does better, or even really what it does, 253 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: other than Altman saying it is a different kind of 254 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: intelligence and there's a magic to it that he has 255 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:03,760 Speaker 1: not felt before. Wow, wow, really really inspirational stuff. Sammy 256 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:07,319 Speaker 1: fucking idiot. This was, by the way, in Altman's words, 257 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:10,160 Speaker 1: the good news. The bad news was that and I 258 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: quote GPT four point five is a giant expensive model, 259 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,520 Speaker 1: adding the open Ai was out of GPUs, but proudly 260 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: declaring that it had added tens of thousands of GPUs 261 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:21,680 Speaker 1: in the week following and would roll out to open aiyes, 262 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:24,120 Speaker 1: twenty dollars a month plus here and that they would 263 00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 1: be adding hundreds of thousands of GPUs soon. Excited. Well, 264 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 1: you shouldn't be on top of a vague product set 265 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: and interterminately high compute cost. GPT four point five costs 266 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:37,880 Speaker 1: developers an incredible seventy five dollars put million input tokens 267 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: in those are the prompts and data pushed into the model, 268 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: and of absolutely astounding one hundred and fifty dollars per 269 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 1: million output tokens. That's the output it creates. And that's 270 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: roughly three thousand percent more for input tokens and fifteen 271 00:13:49,679 --> 00:13:52,319 Speaker 1: hundred percent more expensive for output tokens than GPT four 272 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: to zero For results that open Aiyes, andre J. Caapathy 273 00:13:55,720 --> 00:13:59,000 Speaker 1: described as a little bit better and awesome, but also 274 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,040 Speaker 1: not exactly that are trivial to point to, and one 275 00:14:02,080 --> 00:14:05,320 Speaker 1: developer described GPT four point five to our technica as 276 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: a lemon when comparing its reported performance to its price. 277 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: Arstentnaca also reported the GPT four point five was terrible 278 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:16,600 Speaker 1: for coding relatively speaking, and other tests showed that the 279 00:14:16,600 --> 00:14:19,760 Speaker 1: model's performance was either slightly better or slightly worse across 280 00:14:19,760 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 1: the board. With that according to Ours Technica, one success 281 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: metric being the open ai found open human evaluators preferred 282 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: GPT four point five's responses of a GPT four to 283 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:34,640 Speaker 1: zero in about fifty seven percent of interactions. Wow, that's 284 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: very underwhelming. So, just to be crystal clear, the biggest 285 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: AI company's latest model appears to be even more ruinously 286 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:43,400 Speaker 1: expensive than its last one, while providing modest at best 287 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: improvements and performing worse than several benchmarks done competing models 288 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: very good. Despite these piss poor results, Sam Wultman's reaction 289 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: was to bring in hundreds of thousands of GPUs as 290 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,080 Speaker 1: a means of exposing as many as people as possible 291 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 1: to his mediocre, ultra expensive model. And the best that 292 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,040 Speaker 1: Altman has to offer is that this is the first 293 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: time people have been emailing with such passion asking open 294 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: ai to promise to never stop offering a specific model. 295 00:15:07,160 --> 00:15:09,480 Speaker 1: I am just going to say this. That is a tweet, 296 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:13,000 Speaker 1: and it never happened, or it happened like once. This 297 00:15:13,080 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: is some girlfriend in Canada share Sam Altman is washed 298 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 1: when all of this falls apart, Remember I said he 299 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: was washed? Now, Remember how I talked about open AI's 300 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: lack of meaningful improvement as a reminder, GPT four point 301 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 1: five was meant to be GPT five, but, according to 302 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 1: the Wall Street Journal, continually failed to make a model 303 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,840 Speaker 1: that advanced enough to justify the enormous cost, with a 304 00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: six month training run costing five hundred million dollars and 305 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:41,360 Speaker 1: GPT four point five requiring multiple runs of different sizes. 306 00:15:41,640 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 1: So yeah, open ai spent hundreds of millions of dollars 307 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,320 Speaker 1: to make this great stuff. And I haven't even mentioned 308 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:49,800 Speaker 1: the company's supported agent products. And no, I'm not talking 309 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 1: about Operator, which is also dogshit. By the way, open 310 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:55,640 Speaker 1: ai wants to create tiers of AI agents, with the 311 00:15:55,720 --> 00:15:59,480 Speaker 1: cheapest costing two thousand dollars a month and capable of 312 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:02,480 Speaker 1: handling it administrative tasks, and the most expensive costing twenty 313 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:05,840 Speaker 1: thousand dollars in having PhD level, Look, I wrote the 314 00:16:05,880 --> 00:16:08,760 Speaker 1: script right, and I'm gonna be honest. I can't even 315 00:16:08,840 --> 00:16:15,080 Speaker 1: read that sentence with a straight face. Operator cannot even 316 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,320 Speaker 1: search trip Advisor properly. It can't even do a thing 317 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: that let me google that for you does. And these 318 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 1: chunder fucks want to charge two thousand dollars a month 319 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:26,040 Speaker 1: for an agent that does what does some sort of 320 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:26,880 Speaker 1: what's it dou? 321 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:27,160 Speaker 2: Oh? 322 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: Twenty thousand dollars for something with PhD level capabilities. I 323 00:16:31,040 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: think all the people with PhDs listen to this have 324 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 1: just stood up and gone, I have an idea. And 325 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: this is insane on many levels, not simply because the 326 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: base product is undercut by actual human workers in many 327 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: parts of the world, and even PhD students are typically 328 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 1: I only paid twenty thousand to thirty thousand a year 329 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: on average, and even people with actual doctorates in industries 330 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: really earn twenty thousand dollars a month unless they're working 331 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: in Silicon Valley occupying a C suite job. But forget 332 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:57,880 Speaker 1: all about that. What does it mean to have a 333 00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:01,440 Speaker 1: PhD level agent? Remember? Other lambs are guessing machines. They 334 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:05,159 Speaker 1: don't know anything or even understand the concepts behind the 335 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: words they spit onto a page. No, seriously, Sammy, what 336 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:15,239 Speaker 1: does it mean? I'm fucking waiting you damp Goblin you pissant. Ah, 337 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:19,199 Speaker 1: maybe I shouldn't just site here instarting him wanker. Anyway, This, 338 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 1: by the way, is the company that is about to 339 00:17:20,960 --> 00:17:23,159 Speaker 1: raise forty billion dollars led by a Japanese bank that 340 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,280 Speaker 1: has to go into debt to fund both their operations 341 00:17:25,280 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: and the infrastructure necessary for them to grow any further. Again, 342 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,880 Speaker 1: as we started with, Microsoft is canceling plans to massively 343 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,360 Speaker 1: expand its data center capacity right at the time when 344 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: open ai just released its most computationally demanding model. Ever, 345 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: how do you reconcile those two things without concluding either 346 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,080 Speaker 1: that Microsoft expects GBT four point five to be a 347 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:52,560 Speaker 1: flop although it's simply unwilling to continue bankrolling open AI's 348 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: continued growth, or perhaps it's having doubts about the future 349 00:17:55,440 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: of generative AI in general. Hmm. Maybe now I have 350 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,800 Speaker 1: been and remain hesitant to call the bubble bursting, because 351 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 1: bubbles do not burst, really, they certainly don't burst in 352 00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: neat little events. Nevertheless, my pale horses I've predicted in 353 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: the past were led by one specific call that reduction 354 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:16,760 Speaker 1: and capital expenditures by a hyperscaler was a sign that 355 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,600 Speaker 1: things were collapsing. Microsoft walking away from over a gigawatt 356 00:18:20,600 --> 00:18:23,080 Speaker 1: of data center plans equivalent to as much as fourteen 357 00:18:23,119 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 1: percent of its current data center capacity, is a direct 358 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:28,680 Speaker 1: sign that it does not believe that growth is there 359 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:31,199 Speaker 1: in generative AI, and thus they are not building the 360 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,600 Speaker 1: infrastructure to support it, and indeed may have overbuilt something, 361 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,400 Speaker 1: as I've mentioned that Microsoft CEO Sachinidella has directly foreshadowed 362 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:42,439 Speaker 1: in his interview with Dwarkesh and otherwise extremely boring waste 363 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: of an hour of your life. The entirety of the 364 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: tech industry and the AI bubble has been built on 365 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:50,359 Speaker 1: the assumption that generative AI was the next big growth 366 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,720 Speaker 1: vehicle for tech, and if Microsoft, the largest purchaser of 367 00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:57,119 Speaker 1: Nvidia GPUs in the most aggressive builder of AI infrastructure, 368 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: is reducing capacity, it heavily suggests that the growth is 369 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,000 Speaker 1: not there. Microsoft has, by the looks of things, effectively 370 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: given up on further data center expansion, at least at 371 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: the breakneck pay suit runs promised, and that even suggests 372 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:12,199 Speaker 1: that generator if AI will be a thing in a 373 00:19:12,200 --> 00:19:14,880 Speaker 1: few years, definitely not the scale it is right now. 374 00:19:15,520 --> 00:19:18,760 Speaker 1: AI boosters will email me and they'll say there's something 375 00:19:18,800 --> 00:19:20,879 Speaker 1: that I don't know that in fact, Microsoft has some 376 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:24,119 Speaker 1: greater strategy and some efficiency play. But answer me this, 377 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:26,520 Speaker 1: Why is Microsoft canceling over a giga? What of data 378 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,440 Speaker 1: set expansion? And again this is the most conservative estimate. 379 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:32,040 Speaker 1: The realistic number is much much higher. Do you think 380 00:19:32,040 --> 00:19:34,479 Speaker 1: it's because it expects there to be this dramatic demand 381 00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,520 Speaker 1: for the AI services? Do you think it's reducing supply 382 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,520 Speaker 1: because of all the demand? Now you might think that 383 00:19:41,600 --> 00:19:46,760 Speaker 1: this is an efficiency play they're playing with deep SIG right, No, sorry, 384 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:50,439 Speaker 1: that doesn't matter. Even if deep CG was this magical 385 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 1: efficiency play, which it may or may not be. I 386 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:54,480 Speaker 1: actually think it is more efficient, Like that's true, but 387 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:57,800 Speaker 1: we actually don't know if it's profitable. Even then, they've 388 00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,720 Speaker 1: been talking about not having the capacity to deal with demand. 389 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:03,520 Speaker 1: They've been talking about how incredible this is. They've been 390 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:06,439 Speaker 1: talking about how big this is gonna be. This sounds 391 00:20:06,440 --> 00:20:09,360 Speaker 1: like they don't think it's gonna big, gonna be big. 392 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: Even it's gonna big, they're gonna get my ass in 393 00:20:11,320 --> 00:20:14,719 Speaker 1: the comments on that one. Now, one might argue that 394 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,160 Speaker 1: Microsoft's reduction and capacity build out it's just the sign 395 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:20,919 Speaker 1: that open AI is moving its compute elsewhere. Maybe that's true. 396 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,520 Speaker 1: And if starguate ever gets built, which I question anyway, 397 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:28,159 Speaker 1: here are some questions to ask. Microsoft still sells access 398 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,920 Speaker 1: to open AI's API through asure. Does it not see 399 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,879 Speaker 1: the growth in that product? Do they not see it? 400 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:37,240 Speaker 1: They're not expanding? Is the growth not there? And Microsoft still, 401 00:20:37,280 --> 00:20:40,560 Speaker 1: one would assume, makes money off of open AI's compute expenses, 402 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 1: right or is that not the case due to the 403 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: vast seventy five percent discount the open ai gets on 404 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: using its services. I have been told that it's very 405 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:50,679 Speaker 1: close to the wire by sources, but I can't say it. 406 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,159 Speaker 1: But you'd have to just look at the fact that 407 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,280 Speaker 1: they do actually do that was reported by the information. 408 00:20:56,400 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: Look look what that Microsoft making. So which a material 409 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: pullback on data center expansions suggests that the growth in 410 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: generative AI products, both those run on Microsoft servers and 411 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 1: those sold as part of Microsoft's products, do not have 412 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: the revolutionary growth trajectory that both CFO Amhood and CEO 413 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: of sach Inadella have been claiming. And this is all 414 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:21,199 Speaker 1: deeply concerning, while also calling into consideration the viability of 415 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: generative AI as a growth vehicle for any hyperscaler. If 416 00:21:24,880 --> 00:21:27,400 Speaker 1: I am correct, Microsoft is walking away not just from 417 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: expansion of its current data center operations, but from generative AI, 418 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: writ large. I actually believe it will continue selling this unprofitable, 419 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:36,920 Speaker 1: unsustainable software because the capacity it has right now is 420 00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,080 Speaker 1: more than sufficient to deal with the incredible lack of demand. 421 00:21:40,720 --> 00:21:43,320 Speaker 1: It's time for investors in the general public to begin 422 00:21:43,400 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 1: demanding tangible, direct numbers on the revenue and profits related 423 00:21:47,359 --> 00:21:50,359 Speaker 1: to GENERATIVEAI, as it is becoming increasingly obvious that the 424 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 1: revenues are small and the profits are non existent. A 425 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,479 Speaker 1: gigawatt of capacity is huge, and walking away from that 426 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: much capacity is a direct signal that Microsoft's long term 427 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 1: plans do not include needing a great deal of compute. 428 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 1: One counter could be that it's waiting for more of 429 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: the specialized nvideo GPUs to arrive, to which the response 430 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: is Microsoft still wants to build the capacity, so it 431 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:12,679 Speaker 1: has somewhere to fucking put them again, These facilities take 432 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,159 Speaker 1: anywhere between three and six years to build. Do you 433 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: really think black will be so delayed that they won't 434 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: arrive until what twenty twenty eight? Ways, what are you 435 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: talking about? From even alive then? Anyway, One counter could 436 00:22:24,040 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 1: be that there isn't the power necessary to power these 437 00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:28,560 Speaker 1: data centers, and if that's the case, it isn't but 438 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: let me human the idea. 439 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:30,359 Speaker 2: Then. 440 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: The suggestion is that Microsoft is currently changing its entire 441 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: data center's strategy so significantly they now has to issue 442 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,160 Speaker 1: over a giga what's worth of statements of intent across 443 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: the country to different places because of more power. There's 444 00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,160 Speaker 1: more power in those places, less than did they make 445 00:22:47,640 --> 00:23:08,080 Speaker 1: like a giga what worth of mistakes? Now? Okay. Another 446 00:23:08,160 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: counter is that I'm only talking about leases and not purchases. 447 00:23:10,920 --> 00:23:13,440 Speaker 1: In that case, I'll refer you to this article from CBRE, 448 00:23:13,480 --> 00:23:15,720 Speaker 1: which is linked in the spreadsheet for this episode, and 449 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,760 Speaker 1: which includes a looser dating read on how hyperscalers actually 450 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 1: invest in data center infrastructure. Leases tend to account for 451 00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: the majority of spending simply because it's less risky. A 452 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: specialist takes care of the tough stuff location buying, land handling, construction, 453 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: and the hyperscaler isn't left trying to figure out what 454 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:32,359 Speaker 1: to do with the facility when it reaches the end 455 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:35,920 Speaker 1: of it's the useful life cycle. I also expect someone 456 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,320 Speaker 1: to chime in and say well, that's this Microsoft, What 457 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:41,600 Speaker 1: about Google and Amazon? Get out of my house. I'd 458 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:44,440 Speaker 1: counter and say that these companies are comparatively less exposed 459 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 1: to general IFAI. Amazon has invested eight billion dollars in Anthropic, 460 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:50,200 Speaker 1: which is a bit less than half of what Microsoft 461 00:23:50,280 --> 00:23:53,160 Speaker 1: is reportedly invested in open Ai, which amounted to about 462 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:55,920 Speaker 1: fourteen billion dollars as of December. When you consider the 463 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,960 Speaker 1: discounted asure rates Microsoft offers to open ai too, the 464 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,600 Speaker 1: real number is probably my much much higher. Google also 465 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:03,960 Speaker 1: has three billion dollars in Anthropic, in addition to its 466 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: own AI services like Gemini. Open Ai, as I noted 467 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:10,600 Speaker 1: in my last newsletter, is pretty much the only real 468 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:14,119 Speaker 1: generative AI company with market share and significant revenue, although 469 00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: I once again remind you that revenue is not the 470 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:19,000 Speaker 1: same thing as profim and this is true across mobile 471 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: web and likely it's APIs two. Similarly, nobody has quite 472 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: pushed generative AI as aggressively as Microsoft, which has introduced 473 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:29,399 Speaker 1: it to an overwhelming number of its paid products, hiking 474 00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: prices for customers as it goes. I suppose you could 475 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:34,720 Speaker 1: say that Google has pushed GENII into its workspace products 476 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:37,159 Speaker 1: as well as its sarch products, but the scale and 477 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,880 Speaker 1: aggression of Microsoft's push feels different that, and as I've 478 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,040 Speaker 1: mentioned repeatedly, they are the largest purchaser of Nvidia GPUs 479 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:46,160 Speaker 1: by nearly twice as many four hundred and eighty five 480 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: thousand as its nearest competitor to Meta, which brought two 481 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:53,440 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty four thousand in twenty twenty four. Ultimately, 482 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:55,920 Speaker 1: Microsoft has positioned itself at the heart of generative AI, 483 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,960 Speaker 1: both through its own strategic product decisions and its partnership 484 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,359 Speaker 1: with open AI. And the fact that it's now scaling 485 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 1: back on the investment required to maintain that momentum is 486 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,040 Speaker 1: I believe pretty significant. I also recognize that all of 487 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:10,920 Speaker 1: this is a big juicy steake for someone some people 488 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: call a pig or an animal or a monster or 489 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: an AI cynic. Look, I've pulled over this data repeatedly 490 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: and done all that I can to find less convenient 491 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: or satisfying conclusions. Let us off intent and likely the 492 00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,119 Speaker 1: weakest part of my argument. These are serious documents, by 493 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:27,840 Speaker 1: the way, but they're not always legally binding. Neither are 494 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: those statements of qualifications. But as Tdcoen pointed out, sqqs 495 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:33,760 Speaker 1: are generally treated as the green lights stop working on 496 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:36,760 Speaker 1: construction even though a formal lease agreement hasn't yet been signed, 497 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 1: and to be clear, Microsoft let an interminate amount of 498 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:44,359 Speaker 1: sqqs go. Nevertheless, it's incredibly significant that Microsoft is letting 499 00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:46,720 Speaker 1: so many the equivalent of as much as fourteen percent 500 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 1: of its current data set of capacity at a bare minimum. 501 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,159 Speaker 1: On top of the couple hundred so at least two 502 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:55,160 Speaker 1: hundred megabats of data center leases become canceled. I do 503 00:25:55,200 --> 00:25:58,920 Speaker 1: not know why nobody else has done this analysis. I've 504 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 1: now read every single piece about the td co and 505 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 1: report from every single outlet the covenant. I've read some 506 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: weird seo stuff. It's it's not good, and I'm under 507 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: I'm just kind of astounded by the lack of curiosity 508 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:14,439 Speaker 1: as to what one GW plus means and the report 509 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,879 Speaker 1: the meaningfully moved markets, as I'm equally astonished by the 510 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: lack of curiosity to contextualize most tech news. It's as 511 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: if nobody wants to think about this too hard, like 512 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,160 Speaker 1: nobody wants to stop the pie. Nobody wants to accept 513 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 1: what's being staring us in the face since last year, 514 00:26:30,040 --> 00:26:33,640 Speaker 1: if not earlier, and we're given the most egregious, glaring evidence. 515 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: People still must find ways to dismiss it or ignore 516 00:26:36,560 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 1: it rather than give it the energy it deserves. Far 517 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:41,399 Speaker 1: more resources were dedicated to finding ways to gussy up 518 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:43,960 Speaker 1: the releases of anthropics claudes on at three point seven 519 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: or open ais GPT four point five. And we're given 520 00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:49,679 Speaker 1: the report from an Investment Banks research wings that the 521 00:26:49,760 --> 00:26:52,640 Speaker 1: largest spender and generityve Ai, the largest backer for now 522 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:56,119 Speaker 1: of open ai at least, is massively reducing its expenditures 523 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:59,120 Speaker 1: in data centers required for the industry and for open Ai, 524 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: a company of stems worth one hundred and fifty seven billion 525 00:27:01,840 --> 00:27:06,119 Speaker 1: dollars to expand. Microsoft's stake in open Ai is a 526 00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 1: bit fuzzy, is open Ai doesn't issue traditional equity, and 527 00:27:09,080 --> 00:27:11,440 Speaker 1: there's a likelihood it may be diluted as more money 528 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:15,399 Speaker 1: comes in. It reportedly owned forty nine percent in twenty 529 00:27:15,400 --> 00:27:17,879 Speaker 1: twenty three, though assuming that's still the case, are we 530 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,160 Speaker 1: to believe that Microsoft is willing to strangle and that's 531 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,040 Speaker 1: it worth at least seventy five billion dollars several times 532 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:25,840 Speaker 1: more than its investment today by canceling a few leases. 533 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: How many more alarms do we need to go off 534 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: before people recognize that something bad is happening. Why is 535 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: that tangible, meaningful evidence that we're in a bubble and 536 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: possibly a sign that it might be popping less interesting 537 00:27:38,520 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: than the fact that Claudes on it three point seven 538 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:42,879 Speaker 1: can think longer. And if you're listening to this and 539 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:45,359 Speaker 1: you think I'm talking about you, I fucking am. I 540 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: am sick of this shit. I am absolutely sick of 541 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:51,680 Speaker 1: this shit. I'm sick of reading articles like that when 542 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,280 Speaker 1: far more important and scary and damning things are happening, 543 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,120 Speaker 1: things that actually matter. I don't care if Warrio Ama 544 00:27:57,200 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: Day has allowed you to make it compute for longer. 545 00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:01,760 Speaker 1: It doesn't are compared to this. It does not matter 546 00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: compared to a gig or what or more of capacity going. 547 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:07,200 Speaker 1: And I'm sick of this. I'm sick of me having 548 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: to be the guy. Sometimes. I do not say these 549 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:12,199 Speaker 1: things to be right. I don't want to be a 550 00:28:12,240 --> 00:28:14,919 Speaker 1: cynic or a hater. I say this all because I 551 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:16,919 Speaker 1: am trying to understand what's going on, and if I 552 00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:20,080 Speaker 1: do not, I will actually go insane. Every time I 553 00:28:20,119 --> 00:28:22,760 Speaker 1: sit down to write my newsletter or record this podcast, 554 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:25,480 Speaker 1: I'm doing it because I'm trying to understand what's happening 555 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:27,159 Speaker 1: and how I feel about it, And these are the 556 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: only terms to dictate my creativity. It just happens that 557 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 1: I've stared at the tech industry for too long and 558 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 1: now I can't look away. Perhaps it's driving me mad, 559 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:37,399 Speaker 1: or maybe I'm getting smarter, or maybe it's an arm 560 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:39,840 Speaker 1: or palmer of the two. But what comes out of 561 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: my work is not driven by wanting to go viral 562 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 1: or having a hot take, or be a renowned skeptic, 563 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,400 Speaker 1: or being right or being anything, because such things suggest 564 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:52,200 Speaker 1: that I would do this differently if three people listened 565 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: versus actually can't say the amount of people that do. 566 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 1: I have rules, but fifty seven thousand people subscribe to 567 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 1: my newsletter extra. From there, I would do the same 568 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 1: goddamn thing. And in fact, if you look back in 569 00:29:04,160 --> 00:29:07,520 Speaker 1: my work, I've done the same thing from the beginning. Now, 570 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: I'm not saying that Microsoft is dying or making any 571 00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,080 Speaker 1: grandiose claims about what happens next. What I am describing, however, 572 00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: is the material contraction of the largest investor in data centers, 573 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:19,160 Speaker 1: according to TD Cohen, potentially at a scale that suggests 574 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:22,680 Speaker 1: the Microsoft has meaningfully reduced its interest in further expansion 575 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:26,320 Speaker 1: of data centers. Writ large, this is a deeply concerning move, 576 00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,160 Speaker 1: one that suggests that Microsoft does not see demands sustain 577 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:32,640 Speaker 1: the current expansions, which has greater ramifications beyond generative AI, 578 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: because it suggests that there isn't any other reason for 579 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:38,840 Speaker 1: it to expand the means of delivering software. What has 580 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:43,800 Speaker 1: sat in Adella scene? What is Microsoft cfo amy Hood doing? 581 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,520 Speaker 1: What is the plan here? And really what's the plan 582 00:29:47,600 --> 00:29:50,960 Speaker 1: with open Ai? SoftBank has committed over forty billion dollars 583 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:53,800 Speaker 1: of cost that it currently cannot afford, taking on as 584 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 1: much as twenty four billion dollars in debt in the 585 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:58,400 Speaker 1: next year to help sustain one more funding round and 586 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: the construction of data centers. Open Ai, a company that 587 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 1: loses money on literally every single customer. To survive, open 588 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:07,880 Speaker 1: Ai must continue raising more money than any startup has 589 00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,200 Speaker 1: ever raised before, and they are only able to do 590 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,560 Speaker 1: so from SoftBank, which in turn must take on debt. 591 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,479 Speaker 1: Open Ai burned five billion dollars in twenty twenty four 592 00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: and more likely burn eleven billion dollars or more in 593 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:20,720 Speaker 1: twenty twenty five, and will continue burning money in perpetuity 594 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:23,360 Speaker 1: and to scale further will require funding for a data 595 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: center project funded partially by a funding from a company 596 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: that's taken on debt to fund them. And when you 597 00:30:28,360 --> 00:30:31,240 Speaker 1: put this all together, all I can see is calamity. 598 00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:35,120 Speaker 1: Generative AI does not have meaningful mass market use cases, 599 00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 1: and while chat GPT may have four hundred million weekly 600 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:41,160 Speaker 1: active users, there doesn't appear to be meaningful consumer adoption 601 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,960 Speaker 1: outside of chat GPT, mostly because almost all AI media 602 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: coverage inevitably ends up marketing one company Open AI. Argue 603 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:51,560 Speaker 1: with me all you want about your personal experiences with 604 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: chat GPT or how you personally found it useful. I 605 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,720 Speaker 1: don't care. I stopped listening a while ago. Your points 606 00:30:57,760 --> 00:31:00,200 Speaker 1: never prove anything that doesn't make it a product with 607 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: mass market utility or enterprise utility, or worth the vast 608 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: sums of money being plowed into it. Worse still, that 609 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 1: doesn't appear to be any meaningful revenue. As discussed in 610 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,680 Speaker 1: my last episode, Microsoft claims thirteen billion dollars in annual 611 00:31:12,680 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: recurring revenue not profit on all AI products combined on 612 00:31:16,320 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 1: over two hundred billion dollars of capital expenditures since twenty 613 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,760 Speaker 1: twenty three, and no other hyperscaler is willing to break 614 00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:25,040 Speaker 1: out any AI revenue at all. Not Amazon, no matter, 615 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: not Google, Nobody does that. Not worry anyone. Is anyone 616 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,520 Speaker 1: listening to this who actually deals with the economy? Can 617 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,280 Speaker 1: you please listen to me? So we don't Actually I 618 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:38,719 Speaker 1: don't know what we do. I actually don't know. I 619 00:31:38,800 --> 00:31:44,200 Speaker 1: have no idea. Where's the growth? Where's the money? Where's 620 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:47,840 Speaker 1: the money? Sammy? Where is it? Where's my money? Honey, 621 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,720 Speaker 1: give me the money, Sam Mormon? Where's my money? Why 622 00:31:50,800 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 1: is Microsoft canceling a gigawat of data center capacity while 623 00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: telling everybody that it didn't have enough data centers to 624 00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 1: handle demands for its AI products. I suppose this is 625 00:31:59,520 --> 00:32:01,880 Speaker 1: one way of looking at it. Microsoft may currently have 626 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,920 Speaker 1: a capacity issue, but soon one, meaning that further expansion 627 00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: is unnecessary. And that's the case, It'll be interesting to 628 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,680 Speaker 1: see whether their peers follow suit either way. Look, I 629 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: see nothing that suggests that there's future growth in general 630 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: of AI. In fact, I think it's time for everybody 631 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:19,720 Speaker 1: to seriously consider the big tech burn billions of dollars 632 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:22,240 Speaker 1: on something that nobody ever wanted or would pay for. 633 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:25,880 Speaker 1: If you listen to this and scoff, I don't know 634 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:28,160 Speaker 1: what should I have talked about anthropic adding a sliding 635 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: thinking bar to a model GPT four point five. Who 636 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: gives a shit? Can you even tell me what it 637 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:36,280 Speaker 1: does differently to GPT four to zero? Can you explain 638 00:32:36,360 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: to me why it matters? Or are you more interested 639 00:32:38,600 --> 00:32:41,880 Speaker 1: in nakedly captured imbeciles like Ethan Mollock sweatly oinking about 640 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:46,360 Speaker 1: how powerful the latest ask and shit. It's like no 641 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: one's interested in the things happening in the real world. 642 00:32:49,040 --> 00:32:52,240 Speaker 1: It's like nobody's thinking about the silicon and the infrastructure 643 00:32:52,320 --> 00:32:56,080 Speaker 1: and how things actually get built. Wake the fuck up, everybody. 644 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: Things are on fire. Thank you for listening to Better Offline. 645 00:33:07,920 --> 00:33:10,320 Speaker 1: The editor and composer of the Better Offline theme song 646 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 1: is Matasowski. You can check out more of his music 647 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: and audio projects at Matasowski dot com, M A T 648 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:21,200 Speaker 1: T O S O W s ki dot com. You 649 00:33:21,200 --> 00:33:23,720 Speaker 1: can email me at easy at better offline dot com, 650 00:33:23,840 --> 00:33:26,160 Speaker 1: or visit better Offline dot com to find more podcast 651 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: links and of course, my newsletter. I also really recommend 652 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:31,480 Speaker 1: you go to chat dot Where's youreaed dot at to 653 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 1: visit the discord and go to our slash Better Offline 654 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 1: to check out our reddit. Thank you so much for listening. 655 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:41,160 Speaker 2: Better Offline is a production of cool Zone Media. For 656 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:44,440 Speaker 2: more from cool Zone Media, visit our website cool zonemedia 657 00:33:44,480 --> 00:33:47,320 Speaker 2: dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 658 00:33:47,360 --> 00:34:08,080 Speaker 2: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 659 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 1: F