In the space of seven days, we got four moments that, when taken together, could change the trajectory of the artificial intelligence revolution.It started with a podcast called Rapid Response, where the chief operating officer of Uber, Andrew Macdonald, dropped a bombshell: despite the transport giant chewing through its entire AI budget in the first four months of the year, he cannot see the link between all that AI spending and actual revenue.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
AI’s ‘show me the money’ reckoning may have begun
Concerns that surging AI costs aren’t being matched by a rise in revenue are growing among big businesses, even as tech stock valuations continue to surge.
TL;DRAI
Uber's COO disclosed the company burned its full AI budget in the first four months of 2025, with no visible link to revenue. The disclosure marks a broader ROI reckoning: enterprise CIOs will face sharper scrutiny before signing off on the next AI budget cycle.
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