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Most Overhyped AI Companies 2026

Ranked by Hype Gap - the difference between marketing hype and actual substance

Which AI companies are most overhyped in 2026?

Alibaba has the highest hype gap at +8.7, followed by Cerebras (+8.2) and Visa (+8.1). These companies have significantly more marketing hype than actual substance.

Hype Gap is calculated by comparing a company's hype score (marketing claims, press releases) to their reality score (GitHub activity, research papers, product launches). A gap of +20 or higher indicates extreme overhype.

What is the Hype Gap?

The Hype Gap (Bullshit Gap) measures the difference between a company's hype score (marketing claims, press releases, exec statements) and reality score (GitHub activity, research papers, actual product launches).

High Hype Gap (+20 or more)
Lots of talk, minimal substance
Moderate Hype Gap (+10 to +20)
Some marketing spin
Low Hype Gap (+0 to +10)
Mostly honest messaging

Top 20 Overhyped Companies

Updated 1/30/2026
1

Alibaba

Rank #54
Hype Gap
+8.7
Hype Score
14.1
Reality Score
5.4
7-Day Events
14
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
2

Cerebras

Rank #31
Hype Gap
+8.2
Hype Score
12.3
Reality Score
4.1
7-Day Events
2
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_announcement event
✅
3

Visa

Rank #99
Hype Gap
+8.1
Hype Score
12.8
Reality Score
4.7
7-Day Events
1
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
4

Qualcomm

Rank #48
Hype Gap
+7.4
Hype Score
8.8
Reality Score
1.4
7-Day Events
7
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
5

Morgan Stanley

Rank #56
Hype Gap
+7.0
Hype Score
7.7
Reality Score
0.7
7-Day Events
3
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness
✅
6

CoreWeave

Rank #61
Hype Gap
+6.9
Hype Score
9.1
Reality Score
2.2
7-Day Events
0
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
7

Perplexity

Rank #38
Hype Gap
+6.4
Hype Score
12.7
Reality Score
6.3
7-Day Events
2
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
8

Goldman Sachs

Rank #75
Hype Gap
+5.9
Hype Score
5.9
Reality Score
0.0
7-Day Events
0
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness
✅
9

Apple

Rank #8
Hype Gap
+5.2
Hype Score
8.7
Reality Score
3.5
7-Day Events
61
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_announcement event
✅
10

Anthropic

Rank #2
Hype Gap
+4.9
Hype Score
10.2
Reality Score
5.3
7-Day Events
100
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_announcement event
✅
11

TikTok

Rank #50
Hype Gap
+4.6
Hype Score
6.9
Reality Score
2.3
7-Day Events
7
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
12

Waymo

Rank #40
Hype Gap
+4.5
Hype Score
6.0
Reality Score
1.5
7-Day Events
6
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness
✅
13

Amazon

Rank #7
Hype Gap
+4.2
Hype Score
9.9
Reality Score
5.7
7-Day Events
32
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_announcement event
✅
14

Meta

Rank #5
Hype Gap
+4.1
Hype Score
9.2
Reality Score
5.1
7-Day Events
33
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: agi claim, vagueness
✅
15

IBM

Rank #30
Hype Gap
+3.6
Hype Score
8.2
Reality Score
4.6
7-Day Events
8
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
16

Uber

Rank #51
Hype Gap
+3.6
Hype Score
6.8
Reality Score
3.2
7-Day Events
3
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
17

AMD

Rank #15
Hype Gap
+3.5
Hype Score
8.5
Reality Score
5.0
7-Day Events
19
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅
18

Oracle

Rank #76
Hype Gap
+3.3
Hype Score
7.9
Reality Score
4.6
7-Day Events
4
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, vague promise
✅
19

Microsoft

Rank #6
Hype Gap
+3.3
Hype Score
7.1
Reality Score
3.8
7-Day Events
80
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: agi claim, vagueness
✅
20

Netflix

Rank #43
Hype Gap
+2.8
Hype Score
8.4
Reality Score
5.6
7-Day Events
3
Analysis: Some marketing spin but still substantive
Top hype signals: vagueness, product_launch event
✅

How We Calculate Hype Gap

Hype Score (0-100): Analyzed from company blog posts, press releases, executive statements, and marketing materials. Higher scores indicate more self-promotion and buzzword usage.

Reality Score (0-100): Measured from third-party sources including GitHub commits, research papers, community discussions, product launches with demos, and verified user feedback.

Hype Gap: Hype Score - Reality Score. Companies need at least 3 events in the past 7 days for analysis.

Full methodology details →

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