Apple has exceeded expectations when it comes to this reported its quarterly earnings on Thursday, revealing that it made $143.8 billion in revenue for a 16% year-over-year increase. As analysts peppered CEO Tim Cook with softball questions during Apple’s earnings call, one analyst dared to ask the question that no one in Silicon Valley seemed ready to ask.

“When I think about your AI initiatives, you know, it’s clear that there are additional costs associated with that… Many of your competitors have already integrated AI into their devices, and it’s not yet clear what additional monetization they’ve seen because of AI…,” Morgan Stanley’s Erik Woodring began.

Could there be a little nervousness beneath this Finance Man’s probably-very-financial facade? In what I can only imagine was a Herculean display of courage, Woodring asked the question that lurks only in the darkest, dampest recesses of investors’ minds.

“So, how do you monetize AI?” he asked.

You believe it’s still coming. You are wrong. Instead, Big Tech has taken a largely vibes-driven approach to AI development. Take OpenAI, for example, which seems to be on top of the world, how ChatGPT has insinuated itself into the cultural consciousness. But the company not planning to make money until 2030. Analysts from HBSC are still skeptical about that timeline, mainly because it will require another $207 billion in funding, estimates say. Ask anyone in tech how OpenAI plans to break out, and you’ll find the verbal equivalent of the ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ emoticon.

But it’s good that Tim “$143.8 billion in revenue” Cook had a good afternoon, so maybe he’ll finally spill the beans on how any of these companies plan to recoup their investments.

His answer was disappointing.

“Well, I’ll just say that we’re bringing intelligence to more that people love, and we’re integrating it into the entire operating system in a personal and private way, and I think that by doing this, it’s created a lot of value, and that’s opened up a variety of opportunities in our products and services,” Cook said.

So, there you have it, people. Apple will monetize AI by creating “huge value.” And, importantly, that “opens up different opportunities.” That we experience in “products and services.” It’s cold!

Well, shout-out to the Morgan Stanley guy for trying.