The ARR Illusion in the Age of AI

This article examines why the practice of AI startups disguising GMV as ARR distorts business sustainability. It redefines the true meaning of ARR and analyzes how the revenue structure of many AI companies resembles a brokerage or reseller model rather than SaaS. Using the analogy of investors who only inflate transaction volume, it presents—from a consulting perspective—why repeatability, margins, and control are far more critical than the magnitude of the numbers.