The John Johnston Lounge

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down what tech journalist and podcaster Ed Zitron is saying about there being a massive, multi-layered AI bubble. In recent interviews and in his newsletter Where’s Your Ed At, Ed has been detailing what he sees and how he thinks an AI bust will play out. Will Ed Zitron be correct? Related episodes: Dangerous AI Bubble: Retail Investors Are Being Conned | Ed Zitron https:...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how SpaceX has received bullish recommendations from Wall Street banks, including Morgan Stanley, which has given Elon Musk’s AI and rocket company stock a $300 price target. This would give SpaceX a market valuation of around $4 trillion.  Related episodes: Aswath Damodaran: “SpaceX Looks AWFUL As An Investment” https://open.spotify.com/episode/5lheHMH1AuJ1YVYB3i3F8...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Sam Altman wants the US government to have a 5% stake in OpenAI, and Meta is looking to rent out excess AI data centre capacity to other companies. Are these signs that Sam Altman is trying to make OpenAI “too big to fail”, and that Meta’s internal AI strategy has failed? Related episodes: AI Bubble: Top Central Bank Warns of Global Financial Crisis htt...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down what investor and Professor Aswath Damoderan, the “Dean of Valuation”, thinks of the current stock market valuation of SpaceX, and the current outlook for the emerging AI sector.  Related episodes: AI Bubble: Top Central Bank Warns of Global Financial Crisis https://open.spotify.com/episode/3hsDCH8J1PKCN3DoLrqhhX AI Bubble & SpaceX: What Could Happen in A Bust? |...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how President Trump has made billions while in office during off his second term, from crypto schemes, to stocks, to international business deals related to insider knowledge of government policy changes and contracts. Related episodes: TRUMP Memecoin is Grifting INSANITY https://open.spotify.com/episode/2jwECp8GbmInq2BjwsYDCD It’s Official: Elon Musk Must Face DOGE...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is warning of the current “AI exuberance” driving up the risk of another global financial crisis. “Big Short” investor Steve Eisman is also looking at some of the biggest warnings signs right now, in relation to the AI boom.  Related episodes: AI Bubble & SpaceX: What Could Happen in A Bust? | Grantham & Buffet...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down what prominent investor Ray Dalio recently said about the AI bubble, and what he thinks could burst that market bubble. We also look at what legendary investor Warren Buffett said about why he sold Taiwan Semiconductor stock, and how that relates to the AI bubble.  Related episodes: AI Bubble & SpaceX: What Could Happen in A Bust? | Grantham & Buffett  https:...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how longtime investor Jeremy Grantham asserts that there is a massive stock market bubble, currently being fueled by the excitement around AI, and including Elon Musk’s SpaceX. All-time great investor Warren Buffett also implies the current US stock market is expensive, and that a lot of people are gambling rather than investing.  Related episodes: SpaceX & AI: “...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how Elon Musk is angry at Democrat Ro Khanna, and Jennifer Welch from the I’ve Had It Podcast, and threatening to sue Khonna over wanting to officially question Elon about some potentially illegal actions DOGE made under Elon’s control.  Related episodes: It’s Official: Elon Musk Must Face DOGE 'Power Overreach' Lawsuit https://open.spotify.com/episode/6Dz4yU...

John Johnston (JJ) reacts to some of a recent chat about Elon Musk, Tesla, SpaceX, and other Silicon Valley tech billionaires that journalist Gil Duran had with GWU Associate Professor Dave Karpf. Will Elon Musk’s ongoing “arrogance and villainy” eventually receive “some sort of cosmic justice”? Related episodes: Is SpaceX Overvalued by ~$1 Trillion? (Morningstar Says So) https://open.spotify.com/...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how widespread techno-pessimism has sparked a positive and burgeoning analog movement, and an offline “Summer of Ludd” festival in New York. Other offline, phone-free events have been springing-up around the world, aiming for intentional, “unplugged” human connection.  Related episodes: Is Elon’s SpaceX ‘Coup’ About to Rob Your 401K? https://open.spotify.com/episode/...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the massive amount of money that has been flooding into the AI sector could be a warning sign of things to come? Is this one of the biggest risks to the current highflying stock market, and AI-related tech stocks in particular? We look at various opinions, and some of the stocks that have made parabolic moves.  Related episodes: Legit Legendary Investor: AI ‘Has...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how OpenAI’s financials have just been leaked to independent journalist Ed Zitron, ahead of the planned OpenAI IPO. The audited figures reveal mounting costs and a far worse financial position than almost everyone thought. Related episodes: Dangerous AI Bubble: Retail Investors Are Being Conned | Ed Zitron https://open.spotify.com/episode/5mmybdVO6Jyc8hrcjbLCvn Legit...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei seems to lack empathy and remorse in relation to his AI company’s possible involvement in targeting a school during the Iran War, when discussing Anthropic’s involvement with the US military. JJ also looks at the wider question of ethics within the emerging AI sector. Related episodes: Dangerous AI Bubble: Retail Investors Are Being Con...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how legitimately legendary investor Seth Klarman thinks today's stock market, which is currently obsessed with AI-related companies and stocks, has characteristics of a bubble. Klarman argues that even if AI is real and transformative, because of the huge uncertainty, the market should have a lower multiple. Related episodes: SpaceX & AI: “Bigger Than The Dot...

John Johnston (JJ) reacts to famous short-seller Jim Chanos, as he gives his vast experience-led opinions about the warming signs he sees in the current U.S. stock market, including the SpaceX and upcoming AI IPOs, and the AI data center buildout.  Related episodes: Elon's SpaceX HAS TO Grow Like No Company Ever Has https://open.spotify.com/episode/0utF3Iw7k1Tmz5PDf02FfX Is SpaceX Overvalued b...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down what Ed Zitron is currently saying about the AI bubble he sees in financial markets, and the companies involved, including Elon Musk’s SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Zitron thinks the market situation is dangerous for retail investors in particular, and that Anthropic and OpenAI should not be allowed to IPO. Related episodes: Is SpaceX Overvalued by ~$1 Trillion? (Mo...

The Art of Value: Politics host John Johnston (JJ) breaks down part of President Donald Trump’s recent combative interview where he storms out in a rage over valid questions about the Iran War and his constant election-rigging claims.  Related episodes: Trump’s Obsession with Autocrat Viktor Orbán Explained https://open.spotify.com/episode/0NG1RKYy85wNwWF6vDRoOY Trump’s World Cup TANKING: Tourists...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down some of the popular finance media and fund manager perspectives on the SpaceX IPO, and the wave of historic IPOs that are poised to follow, including Anthropic and OpenAI. Does this mark the AI boom getting to “fever pitch” stage? Related episodes: Elon's SpaceX HAS TO Grow Like No Company Ever Has https://open.spotify.com/episode/0utF3Iw7k1Tmz5PDf02FfX Is SpaceX...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Elon Musk’s SpaceX will need to grow 600x in 10 years to justify the $1.75 trillion IPO target valuation, and no company has ever come close to that. JJ also looks at how Google has said it will pay SpaceX $920 million per month for AI compute capacity at xAI data centers. Also, the S&P500 has rejects SpaceX from getting early access to the index, w...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down why the current SpaceX IPO valuation of $1.75 trillion is being challenged by Morningstar, which says SpaceX is being “significantly overvalued”. A Morningstar analyst thinks the space and AI company is worth less than half of that.  Related episodes: Is Elon’s SpaceX ‘Coup’ About to Rob Your 401K? https://open.spotify.com/episode/0Cz8MYXopM3MAeLsAiy8EQ SpaceX IPO is...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how some investment and financial experts are sounding the alarm over Elon Musk’s SpaceX IPO “coup” that could force retirement funds to buy unprofitable SpaceX soon after the SpaceXf IPO, due to a significant rule change that is happening for SpaceX first. Related episodes: SpaceX IPO is Stock Market Insanity https://open.spotify.com/episode/14U1OxBZFLY8OzdnYx5T6B S...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the upcoming SpaceX IPO could be close to peak stock market AI bubble insanity, from a number of perspectives. JJ references the recent SpaceX pre-IPO S-1 filing, and a possible merger with Tesla, and what various analysts are saying. Related episodes: SpaceX IPO: Elon Musk is Preying on His ‘Elon-gelicals’ https://open.spotify.com/episode/2r60g5D3LjueQ1dMChFVkc...

The Art of Value: Politics host JJ breaks down how traditional Western allies have been increasingly pulling away from working closely with the Trump administration, and finding ways to strengthen alliances between each other, especially between Canada and Europe. Canada is acting increasingly like the EU’s 28th member state, rather than a 51st state of the US. Related episodes: Trump’s World Cup...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how opposition to the construction of new AI data centers is escalating across the United States. Local people are questioning and protesting the distribution of land, water and energy resources, as well as the lack of democratic governance in relation to the development of these massive data centers for artificial intelligence compute. Mentioned: Trump’s World Cup T...