Chapo Trap House 987 - May I Meet You? feat. Ed Zitron (11/17/25)
14 snips
Nov 18, 2025 
Ed Zitron, a tech journalist known for his insights on AI and big tech, joins the discussion to unravel the complex finances behind companies like OpenAI. He reveals how high inference costs pose risks for tech firms and criticizes the unrealistic scaling ambitions of data centers. Zitron warns that a few power users could bankrupt AI companies, while also lamenting the overhyped potential of consumer-facing AI. As a humorous twist, he shares amusing dating advice from Bill Ackman, rounding out a conversation that blends serious analysis with levity.
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Debate Over Bicentennial Man's Sex Life
- Ed and Bryce Elder couldn't get sources to agree whether Bicentennial Man had sex.
- Half said yes, some said asexual; reporting revealed no consensus.
Inference Costs Devour Revenue
- OpenAI's inference costs are enormous and eating nearly all revenue.
- Ed Zitron estimates billions spent on inference that outstrip their income and threaten viability.
Reasoning Models Spike Compute Use
- Reasoning/test-time compute dramatically raised per-query costs by adding extra compute steps.
- New reasoning-focused models increase compute per output, making costs scale with usage.
