3 6 Ke·2025-11-12 03:55Core Viewpoint - Michael Burry, known for predicting the 2008 financial crisis, has raised concerns about major tech companies artificially inflating profits by extending the useful life of their assets, leading to an estimated $176 billion in overstated profits from 2026 to 2028 [1][2]. Group 1: Accounting Practices - Burry accuses tech giants of using accounting "tricks" to underestimate depreciation by extending asset lifespans, which he describes as one of the most common forms of fraud in modern finance [2]. - Major companies like Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, Oracle, and Amazon are reportedly extending depreciation periods for hardware, with some extending it to six years despite typical product cycles being only two to three years [2][3]. Group 2: Future Implications - Analysts from Bank of America have noted that the market has been slow to react to the anticipated increase in depreciation expenses, which are expected to accelerate significantly after 2026 due to rising capital expenditures by companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon [4]. - By 2027, it is projected that the depreciation expenses for these three companies could be underestimated by nearly $16.4 billion, indicating that their actual profitability may be much lower than current market expectations [4]. Group 3: Asset Lifespan Concerns - The rapid technological advancements in AI-related hardware, such as GPUs, which have shorter effective lifespans of three to five years, contradict the trend of extending asset lifetimes, further exacerbating the risk of inflated profits [4].