According to Gizmodo, Michael Burry – the investor famously portrayed by Christian Bale in “The Big Short” – is shutting down his Scion Capital hedge fund after informing investors in an October 27 letter that his value estimations “are not now, and have not been for some time, in sync with the markets.” Burry recently revealed short positions against Palantir with a $50 target for 2027 despite the stock trading above $170, and against chip giant Nvidia. He specifically warned about an AI bubble where companies like Oracle, Meta, and Google are allegedly overstating earnings by extending chip depreciation schedules from 2-3 years to 5-6 years, which he claims will lead to $176 billion in overstated earnings between 2026 and 2028. Other short sellers like Jim Chanos have echoed similar concerns about companies like CoreWeave using these accounting tactics.
The Depreciation Drama
Here’s the thing about Burry‘s depreciation argument – it’s actually pretty brilliant if he’s right. Basically, he’s saying these tech giants are treating their AI chips like they’ll last five to six years when the reality is closer to two to three years given how fast this technology becomes obsolete. That means they’re spreading the cost over more years, which makes their current earnings look way better than they actually are. And we’re talking about massive numbers here – $176 billion in potential overstatements across just a few years. It’s accounting gymnastics that could make the whole AI sector look more profitable than it really is.
The Only Winning Move
Burry’s conclusion that “sometimes, the only winning move is not to play” tells you everything about how detached he thinks the market has become. He’s not just betting against specific stocks – he’s basically saying the entire game is rigged. And honestly, when you look at valuations for companies that are burning cash with questionable paths to profitability, it’s hard to completely dismiss his concerns. Even OpenAI is facing tough questions about slowing growth from investors. So what happens when all these AI companies need to actually replace their hardware on realistic schedules? The bill could be staggering.
Industry Pushback
Of course, not everyone’s buying Burry’s thesis. Palantir CEO Alex Karp called the idea of shorting chips and AI “batshit crazy” and pointed out that the companies Burry’s targeting are “the ones making all the money.” And look, he’s got a point – these companies are posting massive revenue numbers. But here’s the question: are those numbers sustainable if the underlying accounting is as questionable as Burry claims? When you’ve got multiple short sellers like Jim Chanos also raising red flags about the same depreciation tricks, it’s worth paying attention.
The Bigger Picture
What’s really fascinating here is that Burry isn’t just making the typical “this is a bubble” argument. He’s pointing to specific, measurable accounting practices that could unravel. His detailed charts and calculations suggest this isn’t just a gut feeling – he’s done the math. And when the guy who famously saw the 2008 crash coming decides the only smart move is to exit the market entirely, that should give everyone pause. The real question is whether this is another brilliant call or whether the rules have genuinely changed in the AI era. Either way, the conversation about how we value these companies just got a lot more interesting.
