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Models & labs · Thesis 87 · settles Oct 28 · 5 days · rung 1/3

Will Microsoft's research and development spending reach at least 10.8 percent of revenue for the quarter ending September 30, 2026?

How it settles

Yes if Microsoft's research and development expense divided by its revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2026, from its 10-Q or 10-K on SEC EDGAR, is at or above 10.8 percent. SEC EDGAR, XBRL company facts of Microsoft (Forms 10-Q and 10-K)

The exact question and the full rule

Did the research and development expense of Microsoft for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 come to at or above 10.8% of its revenue?

Divide the research and development expense by the revenue that Microsoft reports for the quarter ended September 30, 2026 in its 10-Q or 10-K filing on SEC EDGAR. The answer is yes if the ratio is at or above 10.8%; no if it is below 10.8%.

If the source is late or silent: If Microsoft has not filed by November 16, 2026, or a filing restates a period the rule reads, the test is inconclusive, and the Result says what was read and what was missing.

If no

Cost per token falls faster than price

Yes if Microsoft keeps research spending steady or raises it while revenue growth cools, lifting the ratio to 10.8 percent or higher.

If yes

The case against it

No if revenue grows faster than research spending, pulling the ratio below 10.8 percent as efficiency improves.

50%
NoYes

No position, no money. The crowd, the Call and the machines appear after you lock your number.

The case · 7 people · 2 minutes
Cost per token falls faster than price2 people argue noThe case against it5 people argue yes
Stronger if no · 2 people

Cost per token falls faster than price

Michael SpencerMay 28

As inference costs decline through hardware improvements, software optimization, or volume leverage, a vendor can either cut prices or expand margins. Anthropic is expanding margins: compute spend per revenue dollar falling from 0.71 to 0.56 while…

Stronger if yes · 5 people

The case against it

DeepValue CapitalAug 21

While compute supply remains constrained, the price AI providers can charge per token is falling, squeezing the spread between input costs and revenue and potentially undermining the profitability case for AI infrastructure buildout.

What would change the Call
  • A major new research hire wave, a large AI infrastructure charge, or a surprise revenue swing would move the ratio.
The Call · Thesis 87

The house has not taken a side.

The dossier · 5 minutes
The machines' reasons

2 models ran this one. Their numbers and reasons appear after you lock yours.

The thesis

Will Microsoft report a company-wide gross margin percentage for the quarter ending June 30, 2027 that is at least 100 basis points above the same quarter of fiscal 2025, as disclosed in its SEC filings?

Falling cost per served token outpaces token price declines, so hyperscaler-reported gross margins expand despite surging AI inference volume and depreciation from the capex buildout.