“AI is not actually driving much revenue at all!”
Our reading, the sentence that was checked:
AI is not actually driving much revenue at all at software companies.
Assessment: Unresolved Evidence as of
Where and when Ed Zitron wrote it
Where's Your Ed At, Why Are We Still Doing This?, paragraph 83.
- Said
- Source observed
- live page, full text, public
- Evidence as of
- the cutoff for this assessment
- Assessment recorded
- assessment wyea-why-are-we-still-doing-this-6abb61-a1
We recorded 33 claims from this post. See every claim from this post.
The wording above is the version this site observed on 2026-10-28. The source may have been edited after 2026-03-17. This page does not claim the wording was captured then.
What the claim commits to
- Kind
- Observation
- Deadline, as the speaker wrote it
- None stated. This site does not add one.
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Deadline state on 2026-10-29
- No horizon (the release’s reference date)
Conditions
- software companies (scope, stated by the speaker)
From the speaker
- [Software company] is still growing
- AI is not actually driving much revenue at all!
Our interpretation
- The context concerns established software vendors. The ordinary reading is that AI contributes little to their revenue and growth, rather than literally generating no revenue.
- Use the latest completed fiscal quarters publicly reportable before March 17, 2026. The target window accommodates different fiscal calendars; it is not one combined reporting period.
- Recognized revenue attributable to AI is the relevant measure. ARR, annual contract value, bookings and usage are distinct measures.
- Neither a numerical meaning of 'much' nor an accounting basis is supplied.
Counts as supported if: Comparable disclosures across a representative set of established software companies show that AI contributes only a small share of recognized revenue and revenue growth.
Counts as contradicted if: Comparable disclosures show that AI already contributes a substantial share of recognized revenue or growth across that population.
Retrospective: these criteria were written after the outcome was public.
Current assessment
Was it true for the period described?
Outcome: Unresolved
The record was checked, and the evidence available by the cutoff does not settle it.
Scored on a plain reading. The speaker named no measure for this claim, so it was judged on the reading an informed reader would take, stated below under our interpretation. Both reviews had to find that reading fair.
- Evidence as of
- Deadline state when assessed
- No horizon
- Assessment recorded
- Policy version
- 2026-10-28.7
Rationale
The disclosures show AI monetization, including Salesforce's $800 million Agentforce ARR. They do not establish how much recognized revenue or growth AI contributed across software companies. Treating ARR, contract value or usage as earned revenue would change the measure. The claim also supplies no accounting basis or threshold for 'much', so these records do not support a firm verdict.
Limitations
- The reviewed companies are examples, not a representative industry sample.
- Bundled AI features may affect revenue without appearing in a separate AI revenue line.
Evidence (2 items)
Context only: Salesforce,
Agentforce ARR reached $800 million
Why it matters here: This establishes substantial reported AI-product ARR and growth. It does not disclose recognized Agentforce revenue or quantify AI's contribution to Salesforce's revenue growth.
- Publisher
- Salesforce
- Kind of source
- Company disclosure: the company describing itself, not an independent finding
- Measures
- Salesforce, Agentforce annual recurring revenue, USD millions, company reported, 2026-01-31 to 2026-01-31
- Describes events of
- Public from
Context only: Workday,
Workday delivered 1.7 billion AI actions across its platform in fiscal 2026.
Why it matters here: This is an activity count. It supplies no conversion from AI usage to incremental revenue.
- Where
- Recent Highlights
- Publisher
- Workday
- Kind of source
- Company disclosure: the company describing itself, not an independent finding
- Describes events of
- Public from
What would settle it
Comparable recognized AI revenue and growth contributions for a representative software-company population, together with a defensible materiality threshold and accounting basis.
Where it was said (1)
Said once in the sources this register covers.
: Where's Your Ed At, Why Are We Still Doing This?
AI is not actually driving much revenue at all!
- Where
- paragraph 83
- Published
- 2026-03-17
- Source observed
- , live page
- Access
- full text, public
History
Assessment versions
- Assessment wyea-why-are-we-still-doing-this-6abb61-a1: Current. Outcome: Unresolved. Evidence as of 2026-10-28. Public date not recorded.
Recorded events
Assessment publishedBy this site
First assessment published after both reviews and the final-text check passed.
About assessment wyea-why-are-we-still-doing-this-6abb61-a1.