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 🎯

👉 Enjoyed this? Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
🎁 Join 100 000+ digital entrepreneurs who get Ryan's "Strategic Insights for Digital Entrepreneurs Who Think Differently" every weekend: https://ryanlevesque.net/join-the-digital-contrarian/

Credits

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

TDC 068: Your $20/month AI tool is about to cost $500: The Coming AI Price Shock...

The coming AI price shock that could destroy your business model overnight.

Episode Summary

In this episode of The Digital Contrarian, host Ryan Levesque exposes the broken economics behind OpenAI's $500 billion valuation and the entire AI sector.

You'll learn why venture-capital subsidized AI pricing is unsustainable, discover the shocking financials that reveal AI companies lose money on every transaction, and understand why a 25x price increase is inevitable when the subsidy ends.

Question of the Day 🗣️

How dependent is your business on artificially cheap AI tools? What's your contingency plan if prices increase 25x?

Key Take-aways

• OpenAI loses $1.35 for every dollar of revenue despite its $500 billion valuation
• The AI sector exhibits textbook bubble behavior with negative unit economics
• Current AI pricing is artificially low, subsidized by venture capital funding
• A 25x price increase (like Netflix's evolution) is inevitable when subsidies end
• Build contingency plans now before your AI-dependent business model breaks

Timestamped Outline ⏱️

00:00 – The $500 AI price shock is coming
01:04 – Inside the town hall: What we covered
01:58 – OpenAI's terrifying financials revealed
03:13 – The math problem that makes no sense
03:58 – When the AI subsidy ends
05:30 – What this means for your business
06:03 – The Netflix playbook: $8 to $200/month
07:22 – Build your contingency plans now

Links & Resources 🔗

• Issue #062 of The Digital Contrarian – "Is the AI Bubble Bursting??" → https://ryanlevesque.net/is-the-ai-bubble-bursting/
• Subscribe to The Digital Contrarian newsletter → https://thedigitalcontrarian.com

Connect & CTA 🎯

👉 Enjoyed this? Subscribe & leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

🎁 Join 100 000+ digital entrepreneurs who get Ryan's "Strategic Insights for Digital Entrepreneurs Who Think Differently" every weekend: https://ryanlevesque.net/join-the-digital-contrarian/

Credits

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

TDC 067: 3-Part "RTR" AI Business Model Opportunity

The market is shifting beneath our feet and most people have no idea it's happening.

Episode Summary:

In this episode of The Digital Contrarian, host Ryan Levesque reveals a massive shift taking place in the market right now that connects falling Meta ad costs, massive AI infrastructure deals, and the future of digital business.

You'll learn about six major market observations Ryan's been tracking, discover why paid media costs are finally coming back to earth, and uncover the three-part RTR AI business model opportunity that most entrepreneurs are completely missing.

Question of the Day 🗣️

Have you noticed any shifts in your market over the last few months? What are you seeing that others might be missing?

Key Take-aways

• Paid media costs on Meta are at their lowest levels in over a year for the first time in nearly two years
• Major AI infrastructure deals (300BOracle−OpenAI,300B Oracle-OpenAI, 300BOracle−OpenAI,100B NVIDIA-OpenAI) signal a fundamental market shift
• A three-part RTR AI business model opportunity exists for those who take action now
• Most entrepreneurs are unaware of this shift, creating a major competitive advantage
• Live town hall registration is capped at 300 attendees and expected to fill quickly

Timestamped Outline ⏱️

00:00 – Welcome to Episode 67
00:33 – Six major market observations taking shape
00:58 – Paid media costs finally coming back to earth
01:40 – Major AI infrastructure deals reshaping the landscape
02:25 – The market shift most people are missing
02:58 – Announcing live town hall event
03:25 – Three important registration details
04:05 – Keeping today's episode short

Links & Resources 🔗

• Issue #064 of The Digital Contrarian – "Surprising (Non-AI) Trend Taking Shape" → https://ryanlevesque.net/surprising-trend-taking-shape/
• $100 Billion OpenAI deal with NVIDIA → https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/24/nvidia-openai-investment-in-cash-mostly-used-to-lease-nvidia-chips.html
• Meta's 'Vibes' Short-Form Video Feed of AI Slop → https://techcrunch.com/2025/09/25/meta-launches-vibes-a-short-form-video-feed-of-ai-slop/

Connect & CTA 🎯

👉 Enjoyed this? Subscribe & leave a review.

🎁 Join 100 000+ digital entrepreneurs who get Ryan's "Strategic Insights for Digital Entrepreneurs Who Think Differently" every weekend: https://ryanlevesque.net/join-the-digital-contrarian/

Credits

Host: Ryan Levesque

© 2025 RL & Associates LLC. All rights reserved.