HyperPrices: When AI Rewrites The Invisible Hand

The Rise of SkyNet: The Algorithmization Of Finance Part II

In Skynet Part I (here), we embarked on a surreal odyssey through the algorithmic underworld, venturing into an imaginary Costco where “HyperPrices” flickered and fluctuated with manic intensity. These ephemeral numerical phantoms—untethered from reality and more akin to feverish hallucinations than meaningful economic signals—offered a glimpse into a world where the very concept of price had lost all meaning.

This week, reality caught up with our thought experiment. As if making our point for us, an anonymous crypto bro gave new meaning to the phrase “painting the tape”. He used the price system as a literal drawing pad—creating performance art through price manipulation:

This isn't just a clever marketing stunt. It reveals something fundamental about modern markets: prices increasingly exist as symbols that refer only to themselves, not to any underlying economic reality. The crypto artist understood intuitively what algorithms have been doing for years—creating price movements that respond not to fundamentals but to other price movements, generating endless feedback loops of artificial signals.

Costco HyperPrices aren’t merely a thought experiment—they increasingly mirror real-world phenomena. As algorithms weave their sorcery across the landscape of the economy, they are warping the fabric of finance and reshaping markets—if not society itself—in ways both subtle and profound. As we navigate the Financial Matrix, we’re forced to question the very foundations of our economic reality.

Read the full Part Two on our website, here: