I think it's unfortunate that this is the case and that the service has been treated unfairly in many regards, but c.ai has faced specific problems that other businesses in the space don't, and the basic service isn't going to be marketed towards the more revenue-generating segments like enterprise without making something different out of it.
That shouldn't have been a problem given that AI can fully replace talent. The whole company should in theory only have needed a dream and an Anthropic subscription.
This seems reductive. Character.ai has > 20 million monthly active users, and a lot of company valuation happens on the basis of user count (which is legitimate, that's not vaporware)
I disagree that it's reductive. If each user costs more in API tokens then your company isn't valuable. That's what everyone's been screaming from the rooftops about there being a bubble. We certainly use tons of AI at the company I work for, if we were paying full API prices then I would bet we'd be barely using it.
I think it's unfortunate that this is the case and that the service has been treated unfairly in many regards, but c.ai has faced specific problems that other businesses in the space don't, and the basic service isn't going to be marketed towards the more revenue-generating segments like enterprise without making something different out of it.
> Google spent over $2 billion to hire away much of the company’s talent, including co-founders Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, in 2024.
That shouldn't have been a problem given that AI can fully replace talent. The whole company should in theory only have needed a dream and an Anthropic subscription.
WOAH, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING IS DEAD! BUY MORE TOKENS!
That's a long time ago. They should have been able to make a go of it in these hyped times.
I wonder what will happen to all the very personal and sensitive data they (probably) have on users?
Probably auctioned off, like what happened to Spirit Airlines: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/bankruptcy-law/google-aims-to-...
A lot of money moved through different hands, yet it doesn’t seems that nothing of value was created.
I wonder how any of this makes sense.
the rich in society (corps, individuals) are so absurdly rich that they can keep throwing money till something sticks with almost 0 risk.
This seems reductive. Character.ai has > 20 million monthly active users, and a lot of company valuation happens on the basis of user count (which is legitimate, that's not vaporware)
I have the impression that if MAU by itself was sufficient, the company wouldn’t have had to file for bankruptcy.
Obviously the company failed to convert its MAU into paying users, despite the fact the token costs greatly declined over the last years.
I disagree that it's reductive. If each user costs more in API tokens then your company isn't valuable. That's what everyone's been screaming from the rooftops about there being a bubble. We certainly use tons of AI at the company I work for, if we were paying full API prices then I would bet we'd be barely using it.
welcome to the world of VC startups
Get with the program, numbers go up = ai valuable. Don't look any closer, details are the AI's problem now.
And so, it begins. The first domino has fallen.
I'm gonna go, grab some popcorn and cry a few tears... tears of joy.
I don't know if there is something to be joyful about.
AI won't go away, it will just end up being a monopoly.
A monopoly on not making money
calling this a domino is pretty funny. "the first tiddlywink has spontaneously disintegrated"
It only takes a pebble to start a landslide.
Most pebbles don't start landslides, but almost all landslides started with a pebble.
Remember that almost all the "value" in AI companies right now is based on perception, not reported profits.
So Character.ai is Jay Cooke & Company ? ;-)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1873