Altman says – OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told CNBC that concerns about whether massive AI spending will pay off—and the risk of waste—are “the most fair criticism” of the technology right now. He pointed to the practical pressure businesses feel: how long it will take for AI res
For many investors, the question isn’t whether AI can work. It’s whether the bill will ever make sense.
Sam Altman stepped into that exact discomfort during a CNBC interview on Monday, arguing that the skepticism circulating among businesses is legitimate. As companies keep pouring money into infrastructure, chips, and software, Altman said the criticism has a clear point.
“So I think this is the most fair criticism right now of AI,” Altman said. “You hear companies saying, I am spending a ton of money on AI. And I know some great stuff is happening, but I know there’s a ton of waste.”
He then narrowed in on the two timers that trouble executives most. “How long do I have to wait for it to really show up in revenue. and how long do I have to wait to really get the costs under control?” Altman said. “I assume that the industry will figure that out pretty quickly. but I think that is a fair. a fair issue.”.
Behind Altman’s remarks is an investor mood that has shifted from wonder to verification. The AI boom is being tested by whether revenues arrive at the scale of the spending—and whether costs can be tightened without slowing down progress. An April report from The Wall Street Journal said OpenAI itself had missed some key targets for revenue and user growth last year.
If the revenue timeline is uncertain, the spending side may be even harder to justify. Recent data from cloud optimization platform Cast AI suggests many companies are paying for far more AI computing power than they actually use. In an analysis of 23. 000 clusters across thousands of companies. Cast AI found average GPU utilization was just 5%. meaning roughly 95% of provisioned graphics-processing capacity sat idle.
Cast AI cofounder and president Laurent Gil tied the pattern to fear as much as need. Companies, he said, are often hoarding scarce AI chips simply because they fear missing out, not because they have an immediate use for the hardware—leaving behind a stockpile of underused computing resources.
The caution isn’t confined to chip usage or operational efficiency. Gary Marcus. a longtime AI researcher. author. and professor emeritus at New York University. has argued that hyperscalers are committing unprecedented sums to AI without showing returns that match the scale of the investments. “Greatest capital misallocation in history. ” Marcus wrote in a post on X. describing some companies’ AI capex plans and adding that Amazon. Google. Microsoft. and Meta collectively are spending more money than the Manhattan Project each month.
Put together. the facts create a pressure test that Altman acknowledged head-on: businesses can see rapid progress. yet still demand proof that the spending curve will translate into revenue and controllable costs. In his CNBC remarks. Altman didn’t try to soften that demand—he called it fair. and he placed the burden where executives are already feeling it. on timing and cost control.
Sam Altman OpenAI AI spending GPU utilization Cast AI investor scrutiny cloud infrastructure chips revenue targets costs Gary Marcus Manhattan Project comparison
So basically AI is expensive and nobody knows when it pays off?
I don’t get why they keep saying “waste” like it’s new. Businesses been cautious for years. It’s like they’re admitting investors were right to be worried, but somehow that’s still bullish?
Altman saying it’s “fair criticism” doesn’t mean much. Like he’s just trying to calm people down while they burn through taxpayer money for chips or whatever. And “costs under control” sounds like they’ll just lay people off when it gets messy.
Wait… is this saying OpenAI already missed targets last year? That seems like a big deal and I feel like everyone glosses over it. If revenue takes forever then how is this not just a giant science project? Also “two timers”?? like waiting for it to show up twice??