Why the smartest tech boom might end like every bubble before it — and what real builders can do differently.

The world is experiencing an AI gold rush — and just like every rush before it, most of what glitters isn’t gold. Startups with no real models are raising millions. Enterprises are “going AI” without solving a single business problem. Valuations are skyrocketing, while actual productivity gains remain stubbornly flat.
Drawing on 18 years of executive experience in banking and financial strategy, I’ve seen this pattern before — from fintech bubbles to digital transformation hype cycles. Today’s AI boom follows the same speculative logic: capital chases trends faster than value creation can keep up.
In this talk, I’ll dissect the anatomy of the AI financial bubble — how speculative capital, media hype, and short-term incentives created a self-reinforcing illusion of exponential progress. But this isn’t a doomsday talk — it’s a reality check for serious builders. I’ll share a clear framework for identifying genuine value in the AI market, separating signal from noise, and building products that can outlive the hype cycle.
You’ll see what happens when “intelligence meets speculation” — and learn how to position yourself on the right side of the coming correction.