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‘Big Short’ investor Michael Burry accuses AI hyperscalers of artificially boosting earnin

Posted on 11/11/25 at 8:40 am
Posted by BCreed1
Alabama
Member since Jan 2024
6250 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 8:40 am
LINK


He's such a little bitch...

quote:

Michael Burry, the investor made famous by “The Big Short” who recently roiled the market with a tech short bet, is accusing some of America’s largest technology companies of using aggressive accounting to pad their profits from the artificial intelligence boom.

In a post on X Monday, the Scion Asset Management founder alleged that “hyperscalers” — the major cloud and AI infrastructure providers — are understating depreciation expenses by estimating that chips will have a longer life cycle than is realistic.

Posted by dkreller
Laffy
Member since Jan 2009
33230 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 8:46 am to
Seems like chips that never get a break from crunching data would have a shorter than average lifespan.
Posted by nolaks
Member since Dec 2013
1283 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 8:50 am to
He is correct
Posted by BCreed1
Alabama
Member since Jan 2024
6250 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 9:07 am to
No he isn't. He's short on all of this by BILLIONS and has launched a campaign to force the prices lower.
Posted by baldona
Florida
Member since Feb 2016
23262 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 9:32 am to
quote:

No he isn't. He's short on all of this by BILLIONS and has launched a campaign to force the prices lower.


I’m certain he has bias, but how do you know for a certainty he is wrong?
Posted by Kingpenm3
Xanadu
Member since Aug 2011
9736 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 9:34 am to
quote:

No he isn't. He's short on all of this by BILLIONS and has launched a campaign to force the prices lower.



Can someone explain the logistics of his 'investing'.

So he 'bought' $900M worth of AI puts? Is the option market really big enough for him to do that?
Posted by Upperdecker
St. George, LA
Member since Nov 2014
32622 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 10:16 am to
These chips not being depreciated at the same rate are being used internally. Companies can make a choice to use them longer internally as a cost savings. Since it doesn’t effect customer data loads, they don’t need to be replaced every 3 years.
Posted by barry
Location, Location, Location
Member since Aug 2006
51271 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 1:05 pm to
quote:

No he isn't. He's short on all of this by BILLIONS and has launched a campaign to force the prices lower.


He's not creating a story because he's short. He took his position because of his theory.

This also isn't some new thing Burry has brought to light, its criticism that people have been harping on for quite some time.
Posted by barry
Location, Location, Location
Member since Aug 2006
51271 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 1:07 pm to
quote:


These chips not being depreciated at the same rate are being used internally. Companies can make a choice to use them longer internally as a cost savings. Since it doesn’t effect customer data loads, they don’t need to be replaced every 3 years.


Are they using straight-line depreciation, though? At a minimum they probably should be using double declining
Posted by Jax-Tiger
Port Saint Lucie, FL
Member since Jan 2005
26777 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 1:15 pm to
Funny that that guy is accusing other people of manipulating the market, even though that is what he is famous for.
Posted by barry
Location, Location, Location
Member since Aug 2006
51271 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 1:20 pm to
quote:

Funny that that guy is accusing other people of manipulating the market, even though that is what he is famous for.


he's accusing them of accounting fraud

What has Burry done that is illegal?
Posted by Jax-Tiger
Port Saint Lucie, FL
Member since Jan 2005
26777 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 1:44 pm to
quote:

What has Burry done that is illegal?


Technically, his investments are legal, but he uses his influence and tweets to manipulate the market to further his position and profits.
Posted by igoringa
South Mississippi
Member since Jun 2007
12257 posts
Posted on 11/11/25 at 2:06 pm to
quote:

Are they using straight-line depreciation, though?


of course they are - many of these many of these GPUs are subject to five year revenue deals with hyperscaler clients where revenue stays consistent year to year. Why would you not match the expected benefit to the revenue?
Posted by barry
Location, Location, Location
Member since Aug 2006
51271 posts
Posted on 11/12/25 at 12:12 pm to
quote:

of course they are - many of these many of these GPUs are subject to five year revenue deals with hyperscaler clients where revenue stays consistent year to year. Why would you not match the expected benefit to the revenue?


We don't know that to be the case. Also what Burry is saying is that the deprecation isn't matching the revenue.
Posted by barry
Location, Location, Location
Member since Aug 2006
51271 posts
Posted on 11/12/25 at 12:13 pm to
quote:

Technically, his investments are legal, but he uses his influence and tweets to manipulate the market to further his position and profits.


What major investor doesn't tout their positions, whether long or short after they have been made?
Posted by igoringa
South Mississippi
Member since Jun 2007
12257 posts
Posted on 11/12/25 at 12:37 pm to
quote:

We don't know that to be the case. Also what Burry is saying is that the deprecation isn't matching the revenue.


We have had multiple deals in the past several weeks that are based off this, so we do know some of these are clearly the case.

For example, the IREN MSFT deal is a 5 year revenue deal - $9.7 billion ratably over the contract with IREN responsible to provide the B300 chips for 5 years. That is the term of the agreement - why would they not depreciate these over 5 years at a minimum.

If they have other similar GPUs for other non long term arrangements - I would really question a delta off 5 years given the nature of these contracts.

Posted by StonewallJack
Member since Apr 2008
924 posts
Posted on 11/12/25 at 12:47 pm to
quote:

Technically, his investments are legal, but he uses his influence and tweets to manipulate the market to further his position and profits.



Arrest him now!!

ETA: He is causing the stock market crash
This post was edited on 11/12/25 at 12:48 pm
Posted by cadillacattack
the ATL
Member since May 2020
9428 posts
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:01 pm to
quote:

He's not creating a story because he's short. He took his position because of his theory.

This also isn't some new thing Burry has brought to light, its criticism that people have been harping on for quite some time.


This is exactly correct .

quote:

why would they not depreciate these over 5 years at a minimum.


They could ….. but it doesn’t mean this chips will be in use…. “law of obsolescence “
This post was edited on 11/13/25 at 5:05 pm
Posted by LSUcam7
FL
Member since Sep 2016
8697 posts
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:12 pm to
quote:

he 'bought' $900M worth of AI puts


Premium cost vs notional amount are two very different things.

For example one put option may cost $1,000 but you get $10,000 of notional exposure. Less capital, but far more risk using leverage.

So whatever the headlines are for his shorts, the actual cost of the bets is far less. Headlines tend to only post the notional exposures.
Posted by igoringa
South Mississippi
Member since Jun 2007
12257 posts
Posted on 11/13/25 at 5:16 pm to
quote:

They could ….. but it doesn’t mean this chips will be in use…


they will be in use if they are subject to a binding five-year contract. This is the part that I'm not understanding. A customer has contracted the use of the asset four or five years at consistent revenue levels for the five years. Under what perversion of US GAAP would one suggest that a useful life should be less than five years in that pattern or should be anything other than straight line.


If under a standard five year revenue contract like the example I gave like so many of these deals are any acceleration of depreciation with materially mistate the comparability and economics of the contract.

No, yes I know there is GPU purchases that are not subject to these contracts - but if you have a significant portfolio of a counterparty signing five year deals for the use of a specific chip. I find it rather challenging to argue as useful life is overstated if five years is used.
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