Ask HN: What is the biggest waste of money?

Intentional destruction of perfectly-good unsold merchandise in the name of brand exclusivity.

McKinsey and other such consulting companies.

[dead]

95% of “AI” applications.

Insane amounts of energy and capital being incinerated for no particular benefit, and with no prospect of a return on investment.

e-waste. I would love to repurpose and keep going most of my stuff but...

I am mulling war (active or preparatory) or the staggering concentration of wealth.

Farm subsidies and the military industrial complex.

Fossil Fuels. I read 70% of it is wasted in extraction, processing, transportation and inefficient use. This despite ~100 years of working on the problem.

Cryptocurrency mining.

I'd say war (and the war complex) - but modern war depends on oil, and often capturing oil is the reason for a war. Wasting (insread of reusing) material is next, then crypto.

Luxury in general. You're paying money to impress someone but they are generally unimpressed because you're paying money to impress them.