TDC 069: The Circular AI Money Shell Game?? | What To Do About The AI Bubble That May Soon Be Coming To an End

The AI bubble may be closer to popping than you think—and the evidence is hiding in plain sight.

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Digital Contrarian, host Ryan Levesque goes into the current state of the AI bubble and where we might be on the hype cycle curve.

You'll learn why enterprise AI adoption is actually declining, discover the circular money shell game happening between major AI players, and uncover a potential opportunity hiding in OpenAI's recent job postings that could rival the early days of Facebook Ads.

Question of the Day 🗣️

Where do YOU think we are on the AI bubble curve? Share your perspective in the comments below!

Key Take-aways

Enterprise AI adoption has fallen from 14% to 12% between June and August 2025—unprecedented for any new technology
The NASDAQ curves from the dot-com bubble (1998-2001) mirror today's AI-driven market almost identically
Circular AI deals between OpenAI, Nvidia, and AMD echo the financial engineering that preceded past bubble crashes
A single ChatGPT algorithm change wiped out $8 billion in Reddit's market value by reducing citations 86%
OpenAI's recent job postings suggest an ad-supported model may be coming sooner than expected

Timestamped Outline ⏱️

00:00 – The AI bubble question everyone's asking
00:08 – Why you can't see bubbles from the inside
01:40 – Where are we on the AI hype cycle curve?
02:12 – The late-stage bubble evidence piling up
03:04 – The circular AI money shell game explained
04:07 – Why 95% of enterprise AI pilots are failing
04:42 – The anti-bubble argument (and why it matters)
06:41 – Unprecedented volatility: AMD up 35%, Reddit down 22%
07:36 – The neuroscience of staying calm in chaos
08:23 – OpenAI's next move: The biggest opportunity since Facebook Ads?
08:59 – New agency service announcement

Links & Resources 🔗

Issue #068 of The Digital Contrarian – "Why Your $20/month AI tool is about to cost $500..." → https://ryanlevesque.net/your-20-month-ai-tool-is-about-to-cost-500/

Issue #039 of The Digital Contrarian – "Right Thesis, Wrong Timing?" → https://ryanlevesque.net/right-thesis-wrong-timing/

Derek Thompson's "This Is How the AI Bubble Will Pop" → https://www.derekthompson.org/p/this-is-how-the-ai-bubble-will-pop

Bloomberg's circular AI money flow diagram → https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-08/the-circular-openai-nvidia-and-amd-deals-raising-fears-of-a-new-tech-bubble

Return to Real Agency waitlist → https://go2.bucketforms.com/sf/8a8a42b9

1:1 VIP Client waitlist → https://ryanlevesque.net/1-1-vip-waitlist/

Connect & CTA 🎯

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Credits

Host: Ryan Levesque
© 2025 RL & Associates LLC. All rights reserved.