HNNewShowAskJobs
Built with Tanstack Start
How Much AI Spending Is Too Much? Investors Are Starting to Wonder(wsj.com)
17 points by moose_man 19 hours ago | 5 comments
  • nis0s17 hours ago

    If AI spending is only improving the bottom line via job cuts, you’re doing AI spending wrong. You’re misinterpreting gains from reduced payroll expenses as increased productivity or market share. What a fucking mistake. If AI spending isn’t directly contributing to sales in some fashion, then you’re just clowning around by pushing money from payrolls to revenue. Your company hasn’t innovated, your product hasn’t become more attractive or competitive, and your business is just as profitable as it was prior to the AI spending.

    • naveen992 hours ago |parent

      Think about a startup that previously would have take 3 or 5 people to launch, and was not viable. But now can be launched with 1 person and be viable. big business also usually has similar internal startups or new ventures with similar economics.

    • musicale15 hours ago |parent

      > If AI spending isn’t directly contributing to sales in some fashion, then you’re just clowning around by pushing money from payrolls to revenue. Your company hasn’t innovated, your product hasn’t become more attractive or competitive, and your business is just as profitable as it was prior to the AI spending.

      If revenue remains the same and costs (such as labor costs) go down, then profits increase.

      This is very attractive to business owners; it's probably the most effective pitch for any kind of automation.

      • nis0s15 hours ago |parent

        Spoken like an MBA. There are pitfalls in your way of thinking, but as they say—learn by doing.

  • Akynin18 hours ago

    [dead]