Monologue: Annualized Revenues Are BS

Better Offline

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how and why OpenAI and Anthropic use “annualized revenues” to hide that they’re nowhere near their yearly revenue projections.

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/anthropic-revenue-hits-4-billion-annual-pace-competition-cursor-intensifies?rc=kz8jh3
www.theinformation.com/articles/openai-hits-12-billion-annualized-revenue-breaks-700-million-chatgpt-weekly-active-users?rc=kz8jh3

Episode note: I say “$5.5 billion” for OpenAI’s potential revenue in 2025. Calculations I’ve run since suggest it could be lower - around $5.25 billion. Both of these numbers are reasonable.

YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.

---

LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks

Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/

Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at

Ed's Socials:

https://twitter.com/edzitron

https://www.instagram.com/edzitron

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More description

In this week’s monologue, Ed Zitron walks you through how and why OpenAI and Anthropic use “annualized revenues” to hide that they’re nowhere near their yearly revenue projections.

Episode note: I say “$5.5 billion” for OpenAI’s potential revenue in 2025. Calculations I’ve run since suggest it could be lower - around $5.25 billion. Both of these numbers are reasonable.

YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more.

---

LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks

Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/

Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at

Ed's Socials:

https://twitter.com/edzitron

https://www.instagram.com/edzitron

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025-08-01 8 min Transcript

Listen elsewhere

Audio File Episode Page Apple

Available Results

Generated results are saved to your library for reuse and search.

No generated results are available for this episode yet.

Quick Summary Summary Template Ready

A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.

Best for: Any episode, First-pass understanding

Quick Summary

Output: One-paragraph overview, Key takeaways, Best parts

Deep Knowledge Extract Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

A structured reusable extraction of ideas, methods, caveats, resources, claims, and quotes.

Best for: Long interviews, Expert conversations

Deep Knowledge Extract

Output: Big ideas, Methods and frameworks, Resources

Methods & Frameworks Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Repeatable methods, frameworks, mental models, processes, and systems.

Best for: Productivity episodes, Technical interviews

Methods & Frameworks

Output: Methods, Frameworks, Systems and workflows

Risks and Caveats Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Risks, warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainties.

Best for: Health, Science

Risks and Caveats

Output: Warnings, Limitations, Trade-offs

Resources Mentioned Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Concrete books, tools, apps, websites, products, papers, people, and organizations.

Best for: Resource-heavy episodes, Interviews

Resources Mentioned

Output: Books, Tools and apps, Websites and platforms

Quotes and Claims Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Memorable quotes and important claims with source context.

Best for: Interviews, Debates

Quotes and Claims

Output: Notable quotes, Important claims, Claims worth verifying

Quick Summary Summary Template Ready

A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.

Best for: Any episode, First-pass understanding

Quick Summary

Output: One-paragraph overview, Key takeaways, Best parts

Deep Summary Summary Template Ready

A detailed readable summary organized by chapter or topic.

Best for: Long interviews, Educational podcasts

Deep Summary

Output: Episode meta, Detailed summary, Key arguments

Knowledge Blocks Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Reusable atomic knowledge units extracted from the episode.

Best for: Research, Learning

Knowledge Blocks

Output: Concept, Explanation, Why it matters

Topic Map Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

A navigable map of subjects, topic flow, and suggested chapters.

Best for: Long episodes, Episodes without good chapters

Topic Map

Output: Main topics, Topic flow, Suggested chapters

Quick Summary Summary Template Ready

A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.

Best for: Any episode, First-pass understanding

Quick Summary

Output: One-paragraph overview, Key takeaways, Best parts

Deep Summary Summary Template Ready

A detailed readable summary organized by chapter or topic.

Best for: Long interviews, Educational podcasts

Deep Summary

Output: Episode meta, Detailed summary, Key arguments

Knowledge Blocks Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Reusable atomic knowledge units extracted from the episode.

Best for: Research, Learning

Knowledge Blocks

Output: Concept, Explanation, Why it matters

Topic Map Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

A navigable map of subjects, topic flow, and suggested chapters.

Best for: Long episodes, Episodes without good chapters

Topic Map

Output: Main topics, Topic flow, Suggested chapters

Health Tips Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Health, fitness, recovery, nutrition, supplement, and wellness advice or claims.

Best for: Health podcasts, Fitness podcasts

Health Tips

Output: Practical tips mentioned, Health claims, Warnings and limitations

Business Ideas Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Business opportunities, strategy insights, and company-building lessons.

Best for: Founder podcasts, Business interviews

Business Ideas

Output: Strategic insights, Business opportunities, Frameworks and models

Book Recommendations Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Books and learning resources mentioned in the episode.

Best for: Interview podcasts, Education podcasts

Book Recommendations

Output: Books mentioned, Reading themes, Other learning resources

Methods & Frameworks Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Repeatable methods, frameworks, mental models, processes, and systems.

Best for: Productivity episodes, Technical interviews

Methods & Frameworks

Output: Methods, Frameworks, Systems and workflows

Risks and Caveats Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Risks, warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainties.

Best for: Health, Science

Risks and Caveats

Output: Warnings, Limitations, Trade-offs

Action Items Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Explicit actions, next steps, habits, recommendations, and things to avoid.

Best for: Productivity, Health

Action Items

Output: Explicit actions mentioned, Suggested next steps, Things to avoid

Quotes and Claims Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Memorable quotes and important claims with source context.

Best for: Interviews, Debates

Quotes and Claims

Output: Notable quotes, Important claims, Claims worth verifying

Resources Mentioned Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

Concrete books, tools, apps, websites, products, papers, people, and organizations.

Best for: Resource-heavy episodes, Interviews

Resources Mentioned

Output: Books, Tools and apps, Websites and platforms

Deep Knowledge Extract Knowledge Extraction Template Ready

A structured reusable extraction of ideas, methods, caveats, resources, claims, and quotes.

Best for: Long interviews, Expert conversations

Deep Knowledge Extract

Output: Big ideas, Methods and frameworks, Resources

Transcript

Open the Transcript tab to load the transcript.

Chapters

No chapters available.