Economics
Own a Piece of Everything? Robinhood's Ownership Pitch, Weighed
You may feel AI's gains are going to people who are already rich. Robinhood's CEO agrees, and pitches stock tokens, AI trading agents and venture funds as the fix. He sells all of them. His case, what checks out, and what's still open.
The Eight-Week Window: Robert Pape's Escalation Trap Thesis, Checked
You might think election risk ends on voting day. Political scientist Robert Pape argues the weeks before the incoming Congress sits are the real danger, because wars escalate like losing bets. His theory, his firebreaks, and what checks out.
Interests or Prophecy? Jiang Xueqin's End-Times Theory of the Iran War, Checked
You've heard the war explained as a fight over oil or China. YouTube forecaster Jiang Xueqin says neither fits, and blames end-times belief instead. His argument, what checks out, what doesn't, and why the headline goes far beyond the evidence.
Who Holds the Key? If Your AI Agent Moves Your Money, the Loss May Be Yours
After AI-found PHP flaws sent the web scrambling, All-In and Palo Alto Networks' Nikesh Arora asked who pays when your AI agent moves money you didn't intend. Their near-consensus: you, because you gave it agency. Here's what we checked and what we didn't.
Inside the Fence: Why Trust, Not Intelligence, Decides Which AI Agents You Use
An a16z panel tracking 147 personal AI agents finds that trust, not intelligence, is the top worry. You may say privacy matters, then trade it for pizza. Agents make different trade-offs on the same task, and the strangest experiments are social. a16z's stakes disclosed.
The Rally Call, Weighed: Tom Lee's Case and His Forecasting Record
Tom Lee told Prof G Markets the correction is over and the S&P 500 could reach 8,400 by the end of 2026. His test for an AI bubble is worth keeping. His forecasting record, which we checked, says to treat the target as one scenario, not a promise.
The Bill Has a Number: Anthropic's $895 Billion Compute Tab, Weighed
Anthropic's amended IPO filing puts a number on the AI bill: about $895 billion in compute commitments. On Prof G Markets, the FT's John Foley explains why costs outpacing revenue, a possible junk rating and Big Tech's borrowing all matter if you are weighing the boom.
Robots by the Hour: Tutor Intelligence's Pitch to Factories That Have Never Bought a Robot
Tutor Intelligence CEO Josh Gruenstein says most US factories have never bought a robot. His pitch: general-purpose robots rented at about $16 an hour, with remote humans whose help trains the AI. a16z, which hosted, led the company's Series B.
Tokens Are Cheap. The Bundle Isn't: Modal's Erik Bernhardsson on Where AI Inference Margins Live
Modal CEO Erik Bernhardsson tells Harry Stebbings that selling raw AI tokens is a race to the bottom, and that inference margins live in the bundle around them. GPUs, margin stacking and open models, checked, with his conflicts disclosed.
Two Steps Ahead: Colin Camerer on Why You're Only About 75% Rational
Caltech's Colin Camerer tells Sean Carroll why people are only about 75% rational: we reason a step or two ahead of others, run on habit, and price the future in brain circuits that wording can bend. His studies, checked.
Who Profits From Your Panic? Reading a Doomsday News Cycle
A finance YouTuber spends a video trying to make sense of a terrifying news cycle and lands on a sharper question than is the end near: who profits from your fear? A look at the economics of panic, the ratchet of emergency power, and how to read alarming headlines without being played.
Fifty Creators, No Two Alike: Wispr Flow's Hector Serrano on Paying for Ads That Perform
Wispr Flow's Hector Serrano explains how about 50 creators on commission make the AI app's ads: a pay floor, handpicked and deliberately varied recruits, and a push to experiment. The playbook, with its limits.