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AI's Debt Binge Echoes Dot-Com Bust but with Stronger Balance Sheets

economy-finance · 2026-05-08

A Quartz analysis compares the borrowing spree of today's AI hyperscalers to the dot-com bust, noting that telecom companies borrowed $600 billion and burned through it. AI firms have borrowed even more, but unlike the telecoms, they possess robust balance sheets, suggesting a different risk profile.

Key facts

  • Telecom companies borrowed $600 billion during the dot-com era.
  • AI hyperscalers have borrowed more than telecoms did.
  • AI companies have stronger balance sheets than telecoms had.
  • The comparison is drawn between the dot-com bust and AI's current borrowing binge.

Entities

Institutions

  • Quartz

Sources