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2025 Investment Thread

Post Title: AI, Energy Costs, and the Illusion of Tech Progress — A Financial Reckoning

I’m watching utility bills rise while AI infrastructure expands unchecked, and I’m expected to celebrate this as innovation. From where I stand, it looks more like extraction. As of October 2025, 8–12% of the average American’s utility bill is already subsidizing the electricity demands of trillion-dollar tech firms. That’s projected to hit 20–30% within five years. This isn’t theoretical—it’s happening in real time.

Financially, we’re being asked to invest in companies that are driving up our cost of living while offering minimal employment and zero local benefit. The grid is being reshaped to serve hyperscale data centers, not communities. And the firms behind it—Microsoft, Google, Oracle, CoreWeave—are negotiating bulk discounts while the rest of us pay retail.

As for Tesla and Elon Musk: I don’t like them. That’s not hatred—it’s a financial opinion. Tesla’s valuation is inflated by speculative narratives, and Musk’s behavior consistently undermines long-term trust. Disliking a CEO isn’t a moral failing—it’s part of evaluating risk. If this forum can’t tolerate dissent on a stock or a public figure, then it’s not a financial space—it’s a fan club.

I’m here to talk about money, systems, and consequences. If others see it differently, I welcome their perspective. But for me, this isn’t progress—it’s a transfer of wealth from the many to the few, disguised as innovation.

Simpleton here (me)
PaulR
 
augustiron said:
You DO look good in a tiara Byke...
Click to expand...
0tmtpxE.jpeg
 
PaulR said:
Post Title: AI, Energy Costs, and the Illusion of Tech Progress — A Financial Reckoning

I’m watching utility bills rise while AI infrastructure expands unchecked, and I’m expected to celebrate this as innovation. From where I stand, it looks more like extraction. As of October 2025, 8–12% of the average American’s utility bill is already subsidizing the electricity demands of trillion-dollar tech firms. That’s projected to hit 20–30% within five years. This isn’t theoretical—it’s happening in real time.

Financially, we’re being asked to invest in companies that are driving up our cost of living while offering minimal employment and zero local benefit. The grid is being reshaped to serve hyperscale data centers, not communities. And the firms behind it—Microsoft, Google, Oracle, CoreWeave—are negotiating bulk discounts while the rest of us pay retail.

As for Tesla and Elon Musk: I don’t like them. That’s not hatred—it’s a financial opinion. Tesla’s valuation is inflated by speculative narratives, and Musk’s behavior consistently undermines long-term trust. Disliking a CEO isn’t a moral failing—it’s part of evaluating risk. If this forum can’t tolerate dissent on a stock or a public figure, then it’s not a financial space—it’s a fan club.

I’m here to talk about money, systems, and consequences. If others see it differently, I welcome their perspective. But for me, this isn’t progress—it’s a transfer of wealth from the many to the few, disguised as innovation.

Simpleton here (me)
PaulR
Click to expand...
Musk really only brings two things to the table: internal product development/production pressure and an external marketing image. His style of "big strides" with both of those come with significant downsides.

And as much as I hate to say it, because I like electric cars, but they play a big role in mass subsidizing the increase in energy prices as well, which kinda sucks because it's possible to get the majority of that charging done completely off grid.
 
Most people finance cars because they don't understand money, a few people finance cars because they understand money and have good enough credit to get a decent rate. Cars are an expense, you never get the money you put into them back. Some people buy EVs because the cost to benefit equals out. If you can charge at home off of solar and you use it as your primary commute vehicle you can save money on gas and oil changes. There is also a time benefit to not having to go to gas stations or oil change places.
 
byke said:
which kinda sucks because it's possible to get the majority of that charging done completely off grid.
Click to expand...

Whatchu talkin bout M8?
 
Well there's nothing saying that an electric car must be charged from a grid which connects to the residential grid. In the same way that it's not the city infrastrutre's responsibility to make sure there's room on the street to park a 100ft boat, perhaps it could be a requirement for people to handle charging themselves in isolation of the residential grid. Then, when people add panels to their roof, a half dozen could be allocated to an off grid circuit which is used for charging. And if you want an electric, you'd have to show that you have the ability to charge it yourself. In Japan you can't even buy/register a regular size car without showing proof that you have somewhere to park it. Its basically legislating an inability to impose onto others, which our ideological structure is already kinda setup for that.
 
I like/dislike TSLA because of its insane P/E ratio. It makes for easy insurance on a broad market downturn.

Their products are stagnant, nothing terribly exciting is coming out and their most ardent and vocal marketing person aka the CEO has done a bang up job alienating the people most likely to buy his products.

I mean SpaceX had to buy over 1000 cybertrucks and they are still producing like 100 a day despite no demand for them.
 
Gold is tearing up the charts.
Kinda regretting selling all the coins I had back in 2015 when prices hit their low :confused:
 
Blankpage said:
Gold is tearing up the charts.
Kinda regretting selling all the coins I had back in 2015 when prices hit their low :confused:
Click to expand...
Gold is about 5% of my portfolio at the moment, in the form of gold bars. Its a pure hedge against the rapid devaluation of the dollar.
 
Blankpage said:
Musk asking shareholders to approve a $1T pay package.
They’d have to expecting a pretty rosy future to approve that.
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some of the milestones are vaguely defined and honestly easily obtained. The shareholders would need to be braindead to approve it.
 
They've already proven that though. Idolatry is in these days.
 
byke said:
Well there's nothing saying that an electric car must be charged from a grid which connects to the residential grid. In the same way that it's not the city infrastrutre's responsibility to make sure there's room on the street to park a 100ft boat, perhaps it could be a requirement for people to handle charging themselves in isolation of the residential grid. Then, when people add panels to their roof, a half dozen could be allocated to an off grid circuit which is used for charging. And if you want an electric, you'd have to show that you have the ability to charge it yourself. In Japan you can't even buy/register a regular size car without showing proof that you have somewhere to park it. Its basically legislating an inability to impose onto others, which our ideological structure is already kinda setup for that.
Click to expand...

OK, I mean, I guess if the goal was to kill EVs, then sure. There would be no longer commutes of road trips. Only a tiny percentage of those who own EVs today would be able to meet those terms.

But the biggest glaring issue would be the charging time. 6 panels would be like a trickle charger that would take days to charge. It would really only work as a car used only on weekends, and only for short in town trips. No one is investing in their own infastructure for that.

When I charge on my level 2 charger at home, in the daytime with my 19 panels producing electricity, more than 1/2 of the power used to charge is coming from the grid. Keep in mind, level 2 charging is perfect for overnight and such, but it is several hours to charge from 20-80%, for example, much longer than a supercharger. And without a supercharger network, long commutes, or even moderate distance travel around the bay area, wouldn't be possible.

It would be completely impractical to require EV charging to be off the grid. You know, the public utility developed and maintained for exactly the purpose of providing electricity to paying public customers, like those charging EVs.
 
The charging time is actually the best part, to incentivize people to buy electric cars more like a civic instead of a suburban. The way we do electric isn't really aligned with the whole motivation behind developing electric. Basically, "your" gluttony isn't "my" problem.
 
Caddywumpus said:
I like/dislike TSLA because of its insane P/E ratio. It makes for easy insurance on a broad market downturn.

Their products are stagnant, nothing terribly exciting is coming out and their most ardent and vocal marketing person aka the CEO has done a bang up job alienating the people most likely to buy his products.

I mean SpaceX had to buy over 1000 cybertrucks and they are still producing like 100 a day despite no demand for them.
Click to expand...
 
Tesla’s Supercharger station at Harris Ranch uses a diesel generator to supplement its power supply. While most energy comes from the grid, the generator is present and has been used—regardless of whether it’s peak hours or not—due to limitations in local grid capacity.
Maybe Tesla owners can install diesel generators to supplement there panels at home….,
Geez
Simpleton ….🤪
AKA PaulR
 
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