Hacker News Reader

Using an AI for this is like using crypto to pay for something: only done for the novelty

Regular coding, the SECs API (or UK equivalent), and some simple spreadsheet formulas have already done the brunt of this for years now.

View on HN

Fair point - I started with the Companies House API and traditional parsing too. The issue isn't data access, it's consistency. UK companies file in wildly different formats - some use full GAAP, others micro-entity accounts, many have incomplete data. Rule-based systems work for ~60% of companies, then break on edge cases. Financial health also requires context: Is this debt ratio concerning for their industry/size? Are these cash patterns seasonal or declining? How do you weight profitability vs growth stage? I spent months on traditional approaches first. The AI handles the inconsistency and contextual interpretation that spreadsheet formulas can't.

I respect your comment but all of these things can be automated without an AI

The inconsistency of UK reporting is highly interesting though

Reply on news.ycombinator.com