this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2026
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Risk is rising as big tech companies like Oracle — the ultimate financial source of the Ellison media empire — need to turn to the bond market for staggering sums to finance data centers.

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[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 125 points 1 month ago (6 children)

Is it borrowed money or is it actually fictional non-existent money?

[–] pelespirit@sh.itjust.works 50 points 1 month ago

I think it's both. They borrowed money on the future of AI.

[–] impairedimperator@lemmy.zip 44 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Kind of an odd phrase, given that money as a concept is fundamentally both of those things at all times.

[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 18 points 1 month ago (2 children)

You know what? That's completely fair. We made it up, like the easter bunny.

[–] eleijeep@piefed.social 13 points 1 month ago

The easter bunny made up money too?

[–] spectrums_coherence@piefed.social 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

WHAT? eastern bunnies are made up? you cannot just drop that on a innocent stranger?!

[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Oops. I-i mean San- nope. I - pay me no attention I'm just a crazy person on the Internet.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 month ago

Don't worry, it will be real money when you have to pay your part.

[–] cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Or is it money that has now been turned into fictional non-existent money, because it was stolen from our own future, where it was previously being held (we thought) safely in trust for us. They're stealing the money from us. From our taxes, from our government funds and institutions, from our pensions. It's our money. At least it nominally was, before all this happened. We're being looted. The robbers are in our vault, they are packing our money into bags labelled "AI" as we speak.

[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 3 points 1 month ago

Both is the same. The only difference might be who is holding the bag in the end.

The money being spent to build data centers, buy equipment and electricity is real. The fact that openAI owe softbank $40bn is real.

The future returns from these present day expenditures are imaginary. Whether softbank get their loan back is speculative. Equity raises are even more so.

[–] magnue@lemmy.world 67 points 1 month ago (4 children)

The entire world is running on borrowed money

[–] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Which means someone is out there collecting the interest cost of all that magic money...

Guess who it is!

[–] Gregers@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Satan. Capitalisms biggest fan, next to right wing christians

[–] No_Eponym@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Hey, Satan got shafted. They asked some questions about the status quo, felt the hereditary monarchy was unfair, led a popular protest, and got exiled as a result. No more anti-Satan Jehovan propoganda.

[–] Gregers@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Depends on if you look at the character from a Christian point of view, or as an outsider. Because from a objective point of view, he looks like the good guy in the bible. I was just telling my point from their point of view

[–] CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Also the magic fruit seems kinda like actual sapience by todays standards? Pretty great thing to have.

[–] littleomid@feddit.org 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Well don’t keep us hanging! Who is it?

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Debts Georg

[–] DickFiasco@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Yeah, that title doesn't make any sense. Do they mean AI companies are moving from equity to debt financing? I can't get to the article (paywalled).

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[–] mrmaplebar@fedia.io 39 points 1 month ago

Borrowed money, creative accounting, stolen data.

[–] jj4211@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Fun fact, over half of the S&P 500 have market caps over 10x revenue.

This has not ended well for companies in the past.

[–] eleitl@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 month ago

We'll be lucky if the index loses only 2/3rds of its current value.

[–] danielfm123@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 month ago

Companies are relying on adds everywhere, planned obsolescence and shitification to show better results every year.

[–] brsrklf@jlai.lu 22 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

If we're counting training material and the environmental cost they're passing onto everyone else, also stolen money.

[–] ShotDonkey@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

::: capitalism ::: is running on borrowed money.

[–] heartSagan5@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Yeah. In the US, the system works like this. For every dollar minted, it is an IOU to the very big bank as per the contract.

Tech executives stuffing suitcases with the cash of average families pensions and 401k funds before saluting and running out the back door for their new mega yacht moored in the cayman islands.

[–] NM_Gringo@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

A.I. Is Running Out of Borrowed Money. FTFY.

[–] LifeLikeLady@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Soon it will be running on tax dollars. That's the only way this ends.

[–] dan1101@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

National security and such

[–] moustachio@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It really doesn’t have to end that way. Those shithead rich who threw their money into this can just take the L, and not beg for a bailout.

[–] LifeLikeLady@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah... Sure. Except that's not how capitalism actually works. See capitalism is just socialism for the rich.

[–] moustachio@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ok… but we can take action to make sure they dont just get a bailout for being the failures that they are.

[–] LifeLikeLady@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)
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[–] toasterbotnet@piefed.social 9 points 1 month ago
[–] p3nj@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Looks like the bubble is about to burst, oof

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[–] melsaskca@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)
[–] bridgeburner@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

*US-citizens

r/USdefaultism

[–] eldebryn@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

At a quick search the total debt for all US households is 18.8trillion.

For AI tech companies that is 0.7t, though this probally doesn't include shadow banking credit, which reports say is estimated to be dangerously high.

The that that these numbers are only one decimal order apart is despicable. We're talking a handful of AI megacorps vs literally every single individual.

[–] ZILtoid1991@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

We could have prevented this, but the boomers were cheering that their sons have to go back to the factories from all the office jobs, AI promised to automate...

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

crash is coming. not here yet but these businesses cant manufacture acceptance

[–] HaraldvonBlauzahn@feddit.org 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

What would be consequences of a crash?

One thing I'm thinking is that a crash would likely lead to higher interest rates for everything.... but fossil energy is also highly capital-intensive, too, and runs only on cheap borrowed money, too, therefore..... wait it is hard to grasp how that could turn out.

Anyone has tips for potato gardening?

[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

ram prices would tank, thereby lowering prices on everything that uses them for one

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

why would they tank? factories are making different kinds of chips for AI hardware

[–] WanderingThoughts@europe.pub 4 points 1 month ago

So it's being acknowledged in the mainstream news now. That's going to be a bumpy ride in quarter 4.

[–] japemasterBrad@programming.dev 4 points 1 month ago

And at some point they'll claim it back

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