Some people aren’t mincing their words about it either, calling the deals “circular financing” or even “vendor financing” - where a company invests in or lends to its own customers so they can continue making purchases.

“Yes, the investment loans are unprecedented,” Mr Altman told me on Monday.

But, he added, “it’s also unprecedented for companies to be growing revenue this fast.”

OpenAI’s revenue is growing quickly, but it has never turned a profit.