Pundit ClaimsAI claims by Gary Marcus and Ed Zitron, with the evidence

Gary Marcus Marcus on AI Published

Breaking: bad news for three of the biggest IPOs in history

We recorded 8 claims from this post. 4 were checked against evidence. 4 can’t be checked. 5 more are held. Read the post at its source.

Claims from this post (8)

In the order they appear in the post. Each quotation is the speaker’s words in this post. A label such as “Supported” or “Can’t be checked” is the claim’s current assessment; its page has the evidence and the reasons.

  1. Assessment: UnresolvedSaid

    “One big reason why Anthropic is having a blowout quarter (aside from the massive one time subsidy that they got from SpaceX) is that companies have been “tokenmaxxing” for the last few months, encouraging employees to use GenAI as much possible, without much regard to payoff.”

    What we tested: A major reason for Anthropic's blowout quarter, besides a one-time SpaceX subsidy, is companies tokenmaxxing: pushing employees to use GenAI as much as possible without much regard to payoff.

  2. Assessment: UnresolvedSaid

    “That means lots of short-term revenue to Anthropic and OpenAI, but it never seemed like a sustainable idea to me:”

    What we tested: Tokenmaxxing means lots of short-term revenue for Anthropic and OpenAI, though it never seemed to Marcus like a sustainable idea.

  3. Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid

    “Tokenmaxxing is stupid.”

    What we tested: Tokenmaxxing is stupid.

  4. Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid

    “A month later, it already looks like the moment has passed; tokenmaxxing may have jacked up Anthropic’s second quarter, but it looks like it won’t last.”

    What we tested: The tokenmaxxing trend that may have boosted Anthropic's second quarter already seems to have passed and probably will not last.

  5. Assessment: UnresolvedSaid

    “which means less revenue for Anthropic and others. Or lower prices and even more challenges in being profitable.”

    What we tested: The reported enterprise swing away from tokenmaxxing means less revenue for Anthropic and others, or else lower prices and even more challenges in being profitable.

  6. Assessment: UnresolvedSaid

    “Consistent with the Axios quote, and the Uber concern’s I expressed a couple days ago, I am seeing more and more reports online like this:”

    What we tested: Marcus is seeing more and more online reports like the quoted one, about companies burning money on tokens without significant ROI.

  7. Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid

    “The second sentence— “Tokens got burned for millions of dollars without any real significant ROI to show for it” – might well turn out to be the epitaph for an era.”

    What we tested: The current era of AI spending may well be remembered as one in which millions of dollars of tokens were burned without significant ROI.

  8. Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid

    “And it could get worse, if tokenmaxxing is indeed a fad whose time has already begun to pass.”

    What we tested: If tokenmaxxing is indeed a fad whose time has already begun to pass, the poor AI-return picture in the projections he cites, and its possible fallout for the economy, could get worse.

Held from this post (5)

These records did not pass every check, so nothing about them is published. Held is not a finding.