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Two Charts of Extremely Perverse Incentives

As a thought experiment, consider these changes to our economy's incentive structure.

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Charles Hugh Smith
Aug 13, 2025
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Warren Buffett's partner Charlie Munger had a maxim: Show me the incentives, and I'll show you the outcome. With that in mind, let's look at two charts.

The first is a chart depicting the use of ChatGPT. (Source: OpenAI Usage Plummets in the Summer, When Students Aren't Cheating on Homework.)

Usage fell by 2/3 once classes ended, and the dips in use durin…

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