自研变套壳，开发者逆向200家AI公司前端代码、追踪API：146家实则套壳ChatGPT等，多家技术栈都一样，却赚75倍暴利

Core Insights - A recent analysis reveals that 73% of 200 AI startups are essentially "shell companies," relying heavily on third-party services like ChatGPT and Claude for their core functionalities [1][5][40] - The findings challenge the perception of innovation in the AI startup ecosystem, highlighting a significant gap between marketing claims and actual technological capabilities [1][5][40] Group 1: Investigation Background - The investigation was initiated after a software engineer discovered discrepancies in a startup's claims about its proprietary technology, which was found to be dependent on OpenAI's API [2][5] - The engineer aimed to provide a data-driven analysis rather than subjective opinions, leading to a comprehensive examination of 200 AI startups [3][5] Group 2: Methodology - The analysis involved reverse engineering and monitoring API calls, as well as examining the marketing claims against actual technology stacks [4][5] - The focus was on startups that had received external funding and claimed to possess "exclusive technology," excluding those less than six months old [4][5] Group 3: Findings - The investigation categorized the startups into three models based on their actual technology use: - Model 1: Companies claiming to have proprietary models but actually using GPT-4 with minimal modifications [8][10] - Model 2: Startups utilizing Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) techniques but misrepresenting their technology as proprietary [15][19] - Model 3: Companies claiming to fine-tune their models, but often just using OpenAI's services without significant innovation [22][25] Group 4: Economic Implications - Many of the startups operate with high profit margins, often charging significantly more than their actual costs for API usage, leading to questions about their business models [19][21] - The analysis suggests that while the profit margins are substantial, the lack of genuine innovation raises concerns about the sustainability of these business practices [19][21] Group 5: Recommendations for Stakeholders - For founders: Transparency about technology stacks is crucial, and companies should avoid misleading claims about their capabilities [45][46] - For investors: Understanding the true nature of AI startups is essential, as many are service-oriented companies relying on API costs rather than employee costs [46][51] - The market is expected to mature, with a potential shift towards rewarding transparency and genuine innovation [47][48]