Prediction certainty 4/5 debate potential 2/5

Cahn: AI will disrupt at least 5% of global GDP ($9T+)

David Cahn · Sequoia Partner, David Cahn on Who Wins in AI, Defence & The New $0–$100M Playbook · 20VC with Harry Stebbings · Oct 27, 2025 · at 30:24

David Cahn, Partner at Sequoia Capital, evaluates SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's prediction regarding AI's long-term impact on global GDP.

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“I actually agree with him fundamentally that AI is going to affect five percent of GDP. Probably where I disagree with Massa, so I think he used the nine trillion dollars. I think that's the number he used. It's going to Disrupt nine trillion of GDP. And then he says his next assumption is it's gonna, that's gonna, there's gonna be a 50% profit margin, and then it's gonna be four trillion dollars of economic profit. And I think, so I agree with him, it's gonna affect five percent of GDP, maybe more in the fullness of time.”

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