AI, Hype, and the History of Tech Bubbles: What Past Manias Can Teach Us About the Data Center Buildout ft. Dr. Andrew Odlyzko

Andrew Odlyzko is a mathematician, technology historian, and professor at the University of Minnesota who has spent decades studying the relationship between innovation, finance, and technological manias. His research spans everything from the railway booms of the 19th century to the dot-com bubble—and what those earlier episodes can teach us about the AI buildout happening today.In this episode, we zoom out from the day-to-day politics of data centers to ask a bigger historical question: what happens when a transformative technology collides with hype, speculation, and the promise of world-changing progress? Odlyzko explains why AI fits into a much longer story of technological booms, why bubbles often form around real breakthroughs, and how past manias sometimes left society with useful infrastructure even when investors got burned.We also talk about why he believes the current AI moment is becoming more dangerous. As improvements in large language models begin to look more incremental, the scale of spending on chips, data centers, and infrastructure keeps rising. Odlyzko argues that the real warning sign is financial: once the buildout moves beyond hyperscalers spending their own profits and starts drawing in outside investors through increasingly creative financing, the broader risks grow.This is apart of The Young Ike’s Live Series. To find a Podclub event near you or start your own, visit: theyoungike.org/podclubThis is apart of The Young Ike’s Live Series. To find a Podclub event near you or start your own, visit: theyoungike.org/podclubFollow us on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theyoungike/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Young-IKE-61579184976598/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-young-ike/