Look at what Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Oracle officially owe, and the numbers seem large but manageable. Look off the books, and a second, bigger pile of debt appears.
A Nikkei study put that hidden figure at $1.65 trillion, up
From the Nikkei report: This looks so bad. It’s often been repeated but eventually these companies will have to pay the reaper.
Today’s AI industry is partly supported by demand generated by circular investment. Nvidia and tech giants invest in data center operators and AI companies, with that money then turning into GPU and cloud usage fees. Actual demand is difficult to see, increasing the likelihood of overinvestment in data centers.
Enron-esque indeed.
From the Nikkei report: This looks so bad. It’s often been repeated but eventually these companies will have to pay the reaper.