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Michael Burry Says AI Spending Looks Scarier Than Dot-Com or Housing Bubbles

MarketDash Editorial Team
21 days ago
The legendary investor behind "The Big Short" just posted a chart showing AI-driven capital spending has eclipsed both the dot-com boom and housing bubble peaks. His timing? Days after shutting down his hedge fund.

When Michael Burry—yes, that Michael Burry from "The Big Short"—tells you there's a bubble, people tend to listen. Or at least they should. Over the weekend, Burry dropped what might be his most direct warning yet: the current AI investment frenzy has created a capital spending bubble that makes both the dot-com boom and the housing crisis look quaint by comparison.

A Chart Worth a Thousand Warnings

Burry's post on X featured two images that together form a pretty scathing market commentary. The first image shows a chart from Scion and Bloomberg tracking net capital expenditures (total CapEx minus depreciation) across S&P 500 companies as a percentage of U.S. nominal GDP. This metric has historically spiked during bubble periods, and right now? It's absolutely screaming.

According to the data, the current "Cloud then AI Buildout" has pushed this ratio beyond the 2000 "DotCom & TMT Boom" peak and well past the 2007 "Housing Bubble" levels. In other words, companies are spending more relative to the economy than they did during two of the most notorious financial manias in recent memory.

The second image is where Burry's cynicism really shines through. It's a meme showing Gandalf from Lord of the Rings asking "What can you see?" while looking at the One Ring—except instead of ominous inscriptions warning of doom, the ring just says "Live Love Laugh." The implication is pretty clear: investors are staring directly at an existential threat but seeing only Instagram-worthy positivity.

Burry captioned the whole thing: "One chart to refute them all... to be continued Nov 25th, or before." That ellipsis is doing a lot of work.

Timing Is Everything

This warning hits differently because of when it arrived. Just days earlier, news broke that Burry had de-registered Scion Asset Management with the SEC. In a letter to investors, he explained his decision to liquidate the fund by year's end, citing a persistent disconnect between how the market behaves and his own assessment of value.

So this chart isn't just a hot take from a hedge fund manager with skin in the game. It's more like a parting shot from someone who's decided the game itself has gotten too detached from reality.

Putting Money Where His Mouth Is

Burry's final regulatory filings showed he wasn't just talking. Scion held massive bearish put positions against AI darlings including Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR). The chart he posted essentially visualizes his bearish thesis—one he'll now be managing privately, away from public disclosure requirements.

By pairing hard data with a "Live Love Laugh" meme, Burry delivers his message with maximum sarcasm: the market is gazing at a historically large bubble but is too caught up in AI euphoria to acknowledge the risk. Whether he's right remains to be seen, but his track record certainly commands attention.

The cryptic "Nov 25th" reference in his post aligns with earlier comments about moving "on to much better things" after stepping away from public fund management. Whatever he's planning next, he's clearly not done making waves.

Meanwhile, futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones were trading higher Monday morning, continuing last week's mixed finish. The market, it seems, is still very much in "Live Love Laugh" mode.

Back to News

Michael Burry Says AI Spending Looks Scarier Than Dot-Com or Housing Bubbles

MarketDash Editorial Team
21 days ago
The legendary investor behind "The Big Short" just posted a chart showing AI-driven capital spending has eclipsed both the dot-com boom and housing bubble peaks. His timing? Days after shutting down his hedge fund.

When Michael Burry—yes, that Michael Burry from "The Big Short"—tells you there's a bubble, people tend to listen. Or at least they should. Over the weekend, Burry dropped what might be his most direct warning yet: the current AI investment frenzy has created a capital spending bubble that makes both the dot-com boom and the housing crisis look quaint by comparison.

A Chart Worth a Thousand Warnings

Burry's post on X featured two images that together form a pretty scathing market commentary. The first image shows a chart from Scion and Bloomberg tracking net capital expenditures (total CapEx minus depreciation) across S&P 500 companies as a percentage of U.S. nominal GDP. This metric has historically spiked during bubble periods, and right now? It's absolutely screaming.

According to the data, the current "Cloud then AI Buildout" has pushed this ratio beyond the 2000 "DotCom & TMT Boom" peak and well past the 2007 "Housing Bubble" levels. In other words, companies are spending more relative to the economy than they did during two of the most notorious financial manias in recent memory.

The second image is where Burry's cynicism really shines through. It's a meme showing Gandalf from Lord of the Rings asking "What can you see?" while looking at the One Ring—except instead of ominous inscriptions warning of doom, the ring just says "Live Love Laugh." The implication is pretty clear: investors are staring directly at an existential threat but seeing only Instagram-worthy positivity.

Burry captioned the whole thing: "One chart to refute them all... to be continued Nov 25th, or before." That ellipsis is doing a lot of work.

Timing Is Everything

This warning hits differently because of when it arrived. Just days earlier, news broke that Burry had de-registered Scion Asset Management with the SEC. In a letter to investors, he explained his decision to liquidate the fund by year's end, citing a persistent disconnect between how the market behaves and his own assessment of value.

So this chart isn't just a hot take from a hedge fund manager with skin in the game. It's more like a parting shot from someone who's decided the game itself has gotten too detached from reality.

Putting Money Where His Mouth Is

Burry's final regulatory filings showed he wasn't just talking. Scion held massive bearish put positions against AI darlings including Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR). The chart he posted essentially visualizes his bearish thesis—one he'll now be managing privately, away from public disclosure requirements.

By pairing hard data with a "Live Love Laugh" meme, Burry delivers his message with maximum sarcasm: the market is gazing at a historically large bubble but is too caught up in AI euphoria to acknowledge the risk. Whether he's right remains to be seen, but his track record certainly commands attention.

The cryptic "Nov 25th" reference in his post aligns with earlier comments about moving "on to much better things" after stepping away from public fund management. Whatever he's planning next, he's clearly not done making waves.

Meanwhile, futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones were trading higher Monday morning, continuing last week's mixed finish. The market, it seems, is still very much in "Live Love Laugh" mode.

    Michael Burry Says AI Spending Looks Scarier Than Dot-Com or Housing Bubbles - MarketDash News