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Big Tech’s Insane Hidden AI Spending, Ranking Anthropic vs. OpenAI, AI For Travel Debate

Big Technology Podcast

Shownote

Ranjan Roy from Margins is back for our weekly discussion of the latest tech news. We cover: 1) Big Tech is spending trillions more than it tells us on AI infrastructure 2) The mechanisms of the off-balance-sheet AI buildout 3) What would happen if these projects were on the balance sheet? 4) Can Wall St. actually not figure this out? 5) Will the tech giants pay the money back? 6) Is a soft landing in AI possible at this point if things go poorly? 7) Anthropic's revenue numbers are soaring 8) OpenAI, meanwhile, is in more tumult 9) Why OpenAI is dealing with so many executive departures 10) Startups vs. established companies, and what are the AI labs exactly? 11) Why travel is a good eval for AI --- Enjoying Big Technology Podcast? Please rate us five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ in your podcast app of choice. Want a discount for Big Technology on Substack + Discord? Here’s 25% off for the first year: https://www.bigtechnology.com/subscribe?coupon=0843016b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Highlights

This episode examines the financial and organizational pressures surrounding the AI boom, from hidden infrastructure commitments to the uncertain future of leading AI companies and practical ways to judge their capabilities.
18:36
AI mania delays scrutiny of hidden financial risk
33:58
AI can transform medicine—and still trigger financial collapse.
52:09
Scale has not made these companies stable.
57:46
Travel is an ideal real-world AI evaluation.

Chapters

How Big Tech Is Hiding the True Cost of Its AI Buildout
00:00
What Happens If the AI Infrastructure Gamble Goes Wrong?
21:34
Why Anthropic and OpenAI Still Look Like Unstable Startups
37:09
Can Travel Reveal What AI Is Really Capable Of?
54:55

Transcript

Alex Kantrowitz: Big tech is spending trillions more on AI than it appears on the surface. Is it a glaring red flag? New OpenAI and anthropic numbers show one company surging and another sputtering. And should we actually be talking about AI for travel use...