By this level, the potential of generative synthetic intelligence has led to a dramatic worth improve for a lot of AI shares. A kind of shares, SoundHound AI (Nasdaq: SOUN), has seen its inventory run nearly 400% YTD. This occurred after Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) disclosed that it owned shares in SoundHound. Many buyers could be tempted to purchase SOUN inventory simply because Nvidia did. However, you shouldn’t let your self fall into this entice.

 

On this article, I’ll break down why it is best to keep away from SOUN inventory in the interim.

What’s SoundHound AI?

SoundHound AI is a frontrunner in voice AI conversational applied sciences. It presents full options and particular person elements that assist corporations create distinctive voice assistants. It’s voice assistants are primarily utilized by automotive and quick meals corporations. SoundHound went public in 2022 through the peak of the SPAC-craze. Since then, SOUN inventory is down a complete of 41%. 

SoundHound’s Final 3 Quarters

The very first thing I all the time do when analyzing a inventory is look at its monetary statements. This instantly tells you if the corporate is worthwhile or not. Listed below are SoundHound’s final 3 quarters:

 

December 2023

September 2023

June 2023

 

SOUN inventory may look rosy solely trying on the share will increase in income. This snapshot makes it look like SoundHound’s income is rising handsomely every quarter. However, income development doesn’t matter as a lot when the corporate is constantly posting hefty losses.

 

SoundHound has by no means come near turning a revenue (at the least not anytime lately). Once you take a look at the previous few years, the outlook solely will get worse. Over the previous 5 years, SoundHound has routinely misplaced greater than twice as a lot cash because it makes.

 

These losses could be OK if SoundHound was in “startup mode.” In different phrases, investing all a refund into the corporate and rising rapidly. However, SoundHound was based in 2005. So, it needs to be properly out of startup mode by now.

 

As if these losses weren’t dangerous sufficient, Capybara Analysis recenty revealed a scathing brief report on SoundHound AI.

A Scathing Quick Report by Capybara Analysis

This report is a part of the explanation why SOUN inventory has misplaced 50% off its all-time excessive. I learn the total report (which was fairly lengthy as they’d a number of destructive issues to say) and pulled out among the highlights:

 

Manipulating monetary statements: Capybara alleges that SoundHound manipulates its monetary statements to look extra worthwhile than they’re. For instance, the corporate has been recognized to drag ahead income for merchandise that they haven’t even began engaged on but. They’ve additionally handled one-time cancellation charges (paid by purchasers) as “product income” to assist enhance their margins. 

 

Dropping main purchasers: In 2022, SoundHound was very boastful of its prime purchasers in its 10k submitting. However, in 2023, SoundHound didn’t point out any purchasers by identify. This suggests that the corporate in all probability misplaced its prime purchasers. Not a great signal.

 

 

Points submitting constant updates: SoundHound has typically filed its accounting paperwork late and incessantly revises them after the very fact. In 2023, it additionally used the auditor Armanino LLP to edit its books. This is identical auditor that FTX used. Not good firm to maintain. 

 

 

 

Capybara’s report supplied quite a bit to absorb. However, that is additionally simply the evaluation of only one brief vendor. Quick sellers are incorrect on a regular basis. So, we even have to contemplate that Nvidia, one of many world’s main AI corporations, additionally invested in SoundHound.

However What About Nvidia?

I wasn’t capable of dig up a complete lot of additional info on Nvidia’s funding. All I may discover was that Nvidia’s 13F assertion (launched on Feb. 14) disclosed a stake of 1.73 million shares.

 

However, I’d prefer to level out that Nvidia is price over $2 trillion and earned income of $61 billion in 2024. So, for a corporation of Nvidia’s measurement, a small stake in SoundHound is sort of a rounding error. You’d even be stunned by the dearth of due diligence that usually goes into offers like this. For instance, simply take a look at the startup, Theranos. 

 

Theranos was a biotech startup firm based by Elizabeth Holmes. It grew to a valuation of 9 billion earlier than buyers realized that the corporate’s product (a house blood testing package) didn’t work. Elizabeth was capable of increase cash early on by tricking early buyers after faking a product demo. Then, she was capable of increase further funds as a result of later buyers simply assumed that another person had performed the due diligence. It’s an enchanting story and there’s an incredible documentary of it on Hulu, known as The Dropout.

 

Now, I’m not saying that Nvidia did no due diligence on SoundHound. However, there’s an opportunity that they only positioned a handful of bets on corporations working within the AI house, with out doing a lot due diligence. In spite of everything, if the funding doesn’t work out then it received’t harm Nvidia in any respect. Nvidia may’ve additionally had a strategic purpose to put money into SoundHound, like gaining access to its tech.

 

Both method, the underside line is that you just shouldn’t purchase SoundHound simply because Nvidia did.

SoundHound’s Damaged Enterprise Mannequin

Even when we put the accounting sketchiness to the aspect, there’s yet another obtrusive difficulty with SoundHound: it has a damaged enterprise mannequin.

 

SoundHound makes most of its cash (which isn’t a lot) from voice assistants. So, first off, it already has to compete with Google Voice (Nasdaq: GOOGL) and Amazon Alexa (Nasdaq: AMZN). Robust competitors. However, even when we assume that SoundHound has a superior product, the voice assistant house is notoriously unprofitable. 

 

Though the tech works amazingly, Amazon has described its Alexa product as a “colossal failure.” Amazon reported that Alexa misplaced as much as $10 billion in some years. In reality, the All the things Retailer lately introduced large layoffs in its Alexa division. So, if Amazon isn’t making any cash in voice assistants then I can’t think about that SoundHound is.

 

Ought to You Purchase SOUN Inventory?

I wouldn’t. Even when Capybara’s brief report is incorrect in some areas, it’s a easy indisputable fact that SoundHound has been shedding cash for over a decade. Plus, there’s the truth that voice assistants are broadly unprofitable. When you think about that SoundHound additionally seemingly makes use of sketchy accounting practices, SOUN inventory simply isn’t definitely worth the danger.

 

Thankfully, there are many different AI corporations on the market which are far more thrilling.

 

Disclaimer: This text is for basic informational and academic functions solely. It shouldn’t be construed as monetary recommendation because the writer, Ted Stavetski, just isn’t a monetary advisor.