Super Bowl Commercial Bubble Curse: AIs imitate Dot-Coms
Internet of Bugs 7:03
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#AI #SoftwareEngineering #TechBubble #SuperbOwl #DotCom #Coding #TechHistory
As AI companies spend tens of millions on Super Bowl ads while losing billions in revenue, the parallels to the January 2000 tech landscape are eerie.
00:00 – Stressful time to be in Software
00:26 – 2000 vs 2026: A Sense of Deja Vu
01:05 – 2000 Dot-Com SuperBowl Ads
02:19 – The Reality vs. Marketing Hype of AI
03:14 – From FTX to Atari: A Tradition of Desperate Marketing
03:43 – AI: the New Offshoring
04:54 – Better Tools Make More Interesting Projects
06:16 – Hang in there
// Sources:
// Software Engineer Mental Health Tweet:
https://simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/6/tom-dale/https://x.com/tomdale/status/2019828626972131441
https://x.com/tomdale/status/2019640306342457450
// Bubble.com memo and 2025 followup
https://www.oaktreecapital.com/docs/default-source/memos/2000-01-02-bubble.pdf?sfvrsn=37bc0f65_5
https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/memo/on-bubble-watch
// 2000 DotCom Super Bowl Commercial List:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com_commercials_during_Super_Bowl_XXXIV
// AI Plateau
https://futurism.com/scientists-worried-ai-pleateau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR20FWCCjAs&t=1280s
// Moltbook (Crazy AI Social Network) - Video on this coming soon
https://time.com/7364662/moltbook-ai-reddit-agents/
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/01/ai-agents-now-have-their-own-reddit-style-social-network-and-its-getting-weird-fast/
// Past Superb Owl ads:
2000 Pets.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUoWcYoOjFQ
2000 ETrade Dancing Monkey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If6l3TZ3NEY
2001: ETrade "Ghost Town": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXRvO0lHeGE
2022: FTX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWMnbJJpeZc
1984 Atari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KwaMobltGc
// AI Revenue (or lack thereof) discussions:
https://www.wheresyoured.at/premium-how-the-ai-bubble-bursts-in-2026/
// How AI is (and isn't) like the DotCom bubble (Podcast Episodes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP0funxPcCw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNYWk9UROuY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54r2GFYHuRY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lugxsX1MEnA
As AI companies spend tens of millions on Super Bowl ads while losing billions in revenue, the parallels to the January 2000 tech landscape are eerie.
00:00 – Stressful time to be in Software
00:26 – 2000 vs 2026: A Sense of Deja Vu
01:05 – 2000 Dot-Com SuperBowl Ads
02:19 – The Reality vs. Marketing Hype of AI
03:14 – From FTX to Atari: A Tradition of Desperate Marketing
03:43 – AI: the New Offshoring
04:54 – Better Tools Make More Interesting Projects
06:16 – Hang in there
// Sources:
// Software Engineer Mental Health Tweet:
https://simonwillison.net/2026/Feb/6/tom-dale/https://x.com/tomdale/status/2019828626972131441
https://x.com/tomdale/status/2019640306342457450
// Bubble.com memo and 2025 followup
https://www.oaktreecapital.com/docs/default-source/memos/2000-01-02-bubble.pdf?sfvrsn=37bc0f65_5
https://www.oaktreecapital.com/insights/memo/on-bubble-watch
// 2000 DotCom Super Bowl Commercial List:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com_commercials_during_Super_Bowl_XXXIV
// AI Plateau
https://futurism.com/scientists-worried-ai-pleateau
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR20FWCCjAs&t=1280s
// Moltbook (Crazy AI Social Network) - Video on this coming soon
https://time.com/7364662/moltbook-ai-reddit-agents/
https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2026/01/ai-agents-now-have-their-own-reddit-style-social-network-and-its-getting-weird-fast/
// Past Superb Owl ads:
2000 Pets.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUoWcYoOjFQ
2000 ETrade Dancing Monkey https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=If6l3TZ3NEY
2001: ETrade "Ghost Town": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXRvO0lHeGE
2022: FTX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWMnbJJpeZc
1984 Atari: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KwaMobltGc
// AI Revenue (or lack thereof) discussions:
https://www.wheresyoured.at/premium-how-the-ai-bubble-bursts-in-2026/
// How AI is (and isn't) like the DotCom bubble (Podcast Episodes):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP0funxPcCw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNYWk9UROuY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54r2GFYHuRY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lugxsX1MEnA
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