{
  "id": 15651121,
  "title": "AI investors are getting nervous about this key metric",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/ai-investors-are-getting-nervous-about-this-key-metric",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-19T19:20:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91626257/the-one-metric-thats-making-ai-investors-nervous"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Investors are growing increasingly anxious about the AI bubble, which appears to be linked to a slowing growth rate among AI companies. Although these companies continue to see revenue growth, the rate of that growth has slowed. This slower growth could have a ripple effect on retirement accounts and index funds, according to Sameer Samana, an adviser and head of global equities and real assets at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.\n\nAnthropic, an AI-linked company, recently reported its third-quarter earnings, showing a 45% revenue increase to $16.8 billion. However, this growth rate falls short of the company's previous 60% increase. Furthermore, Anthropic's revenue in the first quarter was still higher than its total revenue for 2025. This declining growth rate is a stark contrast to the fast growth investors had come to expect, which had been fueled by unrealistic expectations.\n\nOpenAI, another major player in the AI industry, has also caused concern. Reports emerged in October that the company had revised its annualized recurring revenue downward by $20 billion, from $70 billion to $50 billion. This shift was attributed to the different ways in which AI companies account for sales. While it may seem counterintuitive to worry about a company generating billions in revenue, in financial markets, valuations are driven by the rate of change rather than absolute revenue.\n\nCompetition is also cited as a potential cause for slower growth. As more AI companies enter the market, prices are falling, and the amount of money each company makes per customer is shrinking. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are all competing aggressively on price, leading to a decrease in revenue growth and margins.\n\nMoreover, Anthropic's IPO valuation has dropped from $2 trillion to $1.5 trillion following the release of its IPO prospectus, which revealed a $8.06 billion operating loss for 2025. This loss is attributed to an accounting charge, and New Constructs has warned investors to avoid the IPO due to the \"gargantuan risks\" associated with Anthropic's rising net losses and massive spending on chips and data centers.",
  "summary": "Will the AI bubble burst? That’s the question on investors’ minds when an AI company announces anything from a rogue agent to an earnings report. Sure, AI companies continue to increase their revenue, but one lesser discussed metric has investors scared: a slowing growth rate. “A handful of AI-linked companies have driven much of the stock market’s gains recently, so any wobble here can ripple…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}