Reading about Ilya Sutskever’s AI startup reaching a potential $20 billion valuation made me spill my morning batch brew all over my keyboard. Not because I’m particularly clumsy, but because the sheer absurdity of these numbers is becoming harder to process.

The startup, focused on developing “safe superintelligence,” has quadrupled its valuation in mere months. Let that sink in for a moment. We’re talking about a company that isn’t building any immediate products, has no revenue streams, and essentially aims to create what some might call a benevolent artificial god. The tech optimist in me wants to believe in this ambitious vision, but my pragmatic side keeps throwing up red flags.