Asymmetric Bets
Hedge Fund Analyst, Private Company CFO, Idiosyncratic Stocks & Accelerating Fundamentals
CoreWeave's long-term unit economics are insane, yet it trades at about a tenth of what AWS was worth with similar capacity. AWS had 2GW in 2022, per Grok, and was valued around $800B in sell-side sum-of-the-parts; CoreWeave will soon have double that. Few on Wall Street model unit economics ten years out: growth years 1-3 show slightly negative free cash flow while chips are paid off, but after about 3.5 years at current re-lease rates the economics explode. x.com
CoreWeave need not borrow at the 15.6% yield on its existing bonds or accept new contracts that lose money. Chamath's debt warning extrapolates that market yield to future financing, while CoreWeave can decline contracts whose rates do not work; its debt table shows varied effective rates, mostly below 15%. x.com
CoreWeave's stock may already reflect much of its real financing risk amid extreme pessimism. Its unsecured bonds yield distressed rates and CDS spreads have surged, while Q2 net interest expense was $640M and 2026 capex guidance is $35–39B. Q2 revenue was $2.58B with about $104B of backlog, but whether that demand yields shareholder value after financing, depreciation and reinvestment remains uncertain; attractive financing is central to the case. x.com
CoreWeave's expensive debt warrants the pressure on its stock. Its debt table shows $35.55 billion outstanding at an approximately 8.4% weighted effective rate, with several facilities costing 9-15%. Much of the debt is adjustable and tied to SOFR, adding rate exposure. The debt burden is ugly, though it could be worse. x.com x.com x.com
CoreWeave's reliance on secured, contract-backed financing makes alarming unsecured yields look less like a major red flag for its buildout. Around 10% of its debt is unsecured and might trade at 15% if it seeks more; the customer-contract and GPU-backed loans it is focused on have come in at mid-single-digit rates. x.com
CoreWeave's financing model still works if it can keep funding capex with contract-backed loans at roughly 6-9%. Its existing debt costs about 8.4% blended, not 15%; the 15% figure is the market yield on its 2032 bond, which it locked at 9.625%. With roughly $20B of 2026 capex left and more needed in 2027, the next deal is critical: another $20B at 15% would cost $3B a year, more than current annual interest, and the model would not work. Spreads near 1,000 bp have made new borrowing pricier. … Show more
CoreWeave looks like a poor long because its debt now exceeds its market capitalization. x.com
CoreWeave's record-high credit-default swaps flag risk to the buying case. Liquid Trading says its bonds are distressed and the swaps price in a greater than 50% chance of default within five years. Even so, CoreWeave is a "crazy discount" that needs to recover from recent negative narratives before it takes off. x.com x.com x.com
Nebius and IREN do not have CoreWeave's debt problem because neither carries the heavy debt load of CoreWeave or Oracle. CoreWeave's troubles are causing problems for them anyway, though the concerns are a mix of real issues and noise. CoreWeave borrowed heavily before demand and unit economics improved; payback periods are now under two years, and take-or-pay contracts should cover interest despite very high payments. x.com x.com x.com
CoreWeave's debt-funded GPUs make financing costs central to its business, while credit markets now price severe distress. Its five-year CDS reached 1,194 basis points on October 15 and remained near 1,145 last week, implying roughly 60% default odds over five years. If yields fall after the FOMC yet shares cannot hold $50, the balance sheet deserves more scrutiny than the macro backdrop. x.com
CoreWeave's unsecured bond yields need not set the cost of all its new funding. Goldman Sachs points to asset-backed borrowing supported by infrastructure and customer contracts and expects blended borrowing costs to rise about 100-200 basis points, despite unsecured yields near 13.5-15%. Goldman also expects recurring revenue per megawatt to rise over 24 months; better cash flow per dollar invested could improve returns if financing stays manageable. x.com