About

Machine Hour is public research from Skycatcher, an investment firm founded in 2015. We study the Internet by using the products being built on it. Putting agents to work ourselves led us to the question behind this site: how much work can machines perform, and what infrastructure will that work need?

What we study

We study AI agents doing work for people and the infrastructure that supports them. Our agents read filings, query data, write software and check results. Using them helps us see their strengths and failures; it does not replace broader evidence.

A machine hour is one agent actively working for one hour. It measures activity, not the value or quality of the result. We estimate that activity, explore how it could grow and track whether it creates lasting demand for software infrastructure.

How to follow the research

Start with the summary. Five parts develop the thesis. Use the model to test the assumptions and the tracker to follow the evidence. The appendices explain sources, methods and limitations.

The thesis and human-hours prediction were published on October 8, 2026. Predictions keep their original terms. The monthly update explains what the evidence supports, what challenges our view and what remains unknown.

Write to us

For questions, corrections, better data or privacy requests, write to Skycatcher.

Disclosures

Skycatcher, LLC is an exempt reporting adviser. This site is published for general research and discussion. It is not an offer of any fund, a solicitation, a recommendation or investment advice. It does not consider individual circumstances and is not intended for distribution where that would be unlawful.

Scenario outputs are our estimates on stated assumptions, not company guidance. Reported data retain their sources and dates. The index comparisons are hypothetical baskets defined in 2026 and applied back to 2022.

Skycatcher, its affiliates, principals and clients may hold positions in any public company named, including the 32 backend companies and the four company cases, and may trade them without notice. Skycatcher is an investor in Clockwork Labs, the company behind Spacetime.

This site runs on a Spacetime module and stores subscriber addresses there. Beehiiv delivers the monthly email. See the full disclosures and privacy note.