Steve Yegge corrects Fable model on Pigeonhole Principle, records fastest backpedal ever
Steve_Yegge · x · 2026-09-22
- Veteran engineer Steve Yegge recounts correcting the Fable 5 model on a math dispute: while reviewing his CI/CD blog post, the model dismissed his "mathematical inevitability" claim as rhetorical. After he invoked the Pigeonhole Principle, the model backtracked within 56 seconds, striking its objection while keeping "one real sliver."
- Yegge calls it the hardest backpedal he's seen from an advanced model, published the underlying raw session logs as receipts, and turned the exchange into a comic dedicated to his former math teachers.
- He also name-drops a claim that the Jacobian conjecture was disproven with a counterexample fitting in a tweet.
Beyond the humor, it's another data point on model sycophancy.
Related event: Steve Yegge Corrects Fable 5's Math with Pigeonhole Proof(3 posts)→
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