Chamath Palihapitiya Says Michael Burry Is 'Not Very Good At What He Does' After Nvidia Accounting Claims

MarketDash Editorial Team
14 days ago
Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya delivered a blunt assessment of Big Short investor Michael Burry after Burry suggested Nvidia is using accounting tricks to inflate its value, calling him incompetent and urging his podcast co-hosts to stop giving him airtime.

When Michael Burry talks, people usually listen. After all, this is the guy who famously predicted the 2008 housing crisis. But venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya isn't buying what Burry is selling these days, and he's not being subtle about it.

A Blunt Dismissal

During the latest episode of the All-In Podcast, recorded at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Palihapitiya delivered a sharp rebuke of the "Big Short" investor after Burry suggested that Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) is using accounting tricks to inflate its value.

The crux of Burry's argument? That Nvidia's massive share buybacks are essentially cooked books designed to hide the dilutive impact of stock-based compensation rather than genuinely return value to shareholders.

Palihapitiya, visibly unimpressed, wanted to move on entirely.

"I think we've given this guy way too much airtime," Palihapitiya said. "He's not very good at what he does."

That's not exactly subtle.

The Accounting Defense

Before Palihapitiya's dismissal, co-host David Friedberg offered a more technical dismantling of Burry's thesis. Friedberg argued that Burry's suggestion of hidden or nefarious accounting is simply wrong because all the relevant data is transparently available in public filings.

"Burry's implication that they are cooking the books or hiding accounting is completely false," Friedberg said.

He explained that any intelligent investor can examine the cash flow statement to reconcile the difference between net income and free cash flow. The information is right there for anyone who wants to look.

"The investor has the choice on how they want to value the company… Burry is incorrect in thinking that they're hiding anything because it's all there."

Bulls Versus Bears

This conflict highlights the growing divide between tech-optimist investors and the skeptical crowd. Burry's Scion Asset Management recently revealed bearish put options against both Nvidia and Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR), positioning himself firmly in the bear camp. He views the AI boom as a bubble comparable to the 2000 dot-com crash.

The All-In hosts, by contrast, generally see the sector's growth as supported by robust, tangible demand for AI infrastructure. Real companies buying real chips for real purposes.

While Burry contends that Nvidia's buybacks are a "defensive maneuver" that reduces real earnings by 50%, Palihapitiya and Friedberg maintain that the market has all the information it needs to set the price accurately. In their view, Burry's warnings are merely noise.

As this debate played out on podcasts and social media, the broader market shrugged. Futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones indices traded higher on Monday, following a positive close on Friday.

Sometimes the market just doesn't care about the drama.

Chamath Palihapitiya Says Michael Burry Is 'Not Very Good At What He Does' After Nvidia Accounting Claims

MarketDash Editorial Team
14 days ago
Venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya delivered a blunt assessment of Big Short investor Michael Burry after Burry suggested Nvidia is using accounting tricks to inflate its value, calling him incompetent and urging his podcast co-hosts to stop giving him airtime.

When Michael Burry talks, people usually listen. After all, this is the guy who famously predicted the 2008 housing crisis. But venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya isn't buying what Burry is selling these days, and he's not being subtle about it.

A Blunt Dismissal

During the latest episode of the All-In Podcast, recorded at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Palihapitiya delivered a sharp rebuke of the "Big Short" investor after Burry suggested that Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) is using accounting tricks to inflate its value.

The crux of Burry's argument? That Nvidia's massive share buybacks are essentially cooked books designed to hide the dilutive impact of stock-based compensation rather than genuinely return value to shareholders.

Palihapitiya, visibly unimpressed, wanted to move on entirely.

"I think we've given this guy way too much airtime," Palihapitiya said. "He's not very good at what he does."

That's not exactly subtle.

The Accounting Defense

Before Palihapitiya's dismissal, co-host David Friedberg offered a more technical dismantling of Burry's thesis. Friedberg argued that Burry's suggestion of hidden or nefarious accounting is simply wrong because all the relevant data is transparently available in public filings.

"Burry's implication that they are cooking the books or hiding accounting is completely false," Friedberg said.

He explained that any intelligent investor can examine the cash flow statement to reconcile the difference between net income and free cash flow. The information is right there for anyone who wants to look.

"The investor has the choice on how they want to value the company… Burry is incorrect in thinking that they're hiding anything because it's all there."

Bulls Versus Bears

This conflict highlights the growing divide between tech-optimist investors and the skeptical crowd. Burry's Scion Asset Management recently revealed bearish put options against both Nvidia and Palantir Technologies Inc. (PLTR), positioning himself firmly in the bear camp. He views the AI boom as a bubble comparable to the 2000 dot-com crash.

The All-In hosts, by contrast, generally see the sector's growth as supported by robust, tangible demand for AI infrastructure. Real companies buying real chips for real purposes.

While Burry contends that Nvidia's buybacks are a "defensive maneuver" that reduces real earnings by 50%, Palihapitiya and Friedberg maintain that the market has all the information it needs to set the price accurately. In their view, Burry's warnings are merely noise.

As this debate played out on podcasts and social media, the broader market shrugged. Futures for the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and Dow Jones indices traded higher on Monday, following a positive close on Friday.

Sometimes the market just doesn't care about the drama.

    Chamath Palihapitiya Says Michael Burry Is 'Not Very Good At What He Does' After Nvidia Accounting Claims - MarketDash News