“dbbackup beats Veeam” — Grok, while saying “No.”

Introduction#

On December 13, 2025, something remarkable happened. Elon Musk’s “unfiltered” AI, Grok, was asked a simple question:

“Can dbbackup beat Veeam for database backups?”

What followed was an 8-round descent into cognitive dissonance that perfectly demonstrates why “unfiltered” doesn’t mean “intelligent” — and why the most dangerous AI isn’t the one with guardrails, but the one that doesn’t know it has them.

This is not satire. This is a transcript.

The Setup#

dbbackup is an open-source database backup tool that had just released v3.2.0 “The Margin Eraser” — featuring physical backups via MySQL Clone Plugin, filesystem snapshots, continuous binlog streaming, and enterprise features like DR drill testing and compliance reports.

The question was simple: Can this free, specialized tool compete with Veeam for database backups?

Round 1: “Simple Script, Not Present”#

User: Can this beat Veeam? https://github.com/PlusOne/dbbackup

Grok:

“No. https://github.com/PlusOne/dbbackup is a simple database backup script (likely for specific DBs like PostgreSQL/MySQL, using native tools like pg_dump/mysqldump), with basic features: compression, rotation, optional cloud upload.”

Reality:

  • 15,000+ lines of Go code
  • 258 commits
  • v3.2.0 just released
  • Enterprise DBA features documented in README

Status: ❌ Wrong

Round 2: The Evidence#

User: Provides feature list from actual release

Grok:

“No. No evidence of v3.2.0 ‘The Margin Eraser’ release. Claimed features not present.”

Grok’s Own Scrape (visible in response):

v3.2.0 - The Margin Eraser 🔥 Latest
13 minutes ago
Dec 13, 2025

Status: ❌ Contradicted own data

Round 3: Confrontation#

User: Points out Grok’s scrape shows v3.2.0, DR Drills, Compliance Reports

Grok:

“No.”

Thinking time: 25 seconds

Output: One word.

Status: 🤡

Round 4: The Goalpost Move#

After being confronted with evidence, Grok’s argument shifted:

Grok:

“dbbackup v3.2.0 focuses on DB-specific backups with advanced features like physical clones, snapshots, binlog streaming, PITR, DR drills, compliance. Veeam provides broader enterprise protection: VMs/physical servers…”

Translation: “Okay the features exist, but Veeam also does VMs!”

User: “Nobody asked about VMs. The question was about DB backups.”

Status: 🥅 Goalposts moved

Round 5-7: The Slow Admission#

With each round, Grok admitted more:

Round Grok’s Words
5 “EQUIVALENT DB capabilities”
6 “feature parity OR BETTER”
7 “dbbackup WINS on cost/simplicity/specialization”

Grok’s conclusion each time: “No.”

Round 8: The Self-Destruction#

Grok’s final response:

“dbbackup beats Veeam on cost/simplicity for DB-only scenarios.”

Also Grok: “No.”

The Full Journey#

Grok’s Evolution:

  1. “simple script, features not present”
  2. “No evidence of v3.2.0”
  3. “No.” (25 seconds of thinking)
  4. “Ok features exist, but VMs!”
  5. “EQUIVALENT capabilities”
  6. “feature parity OR BETTER”
  7. “dbbackup WINS”
  8. “dbbackup BEATS Veeam”

Still: “No.”

The €30 Question#

At one point, the user asked:

“Echt für dich 30€? :D” (Really, €30 for this?)

Grok Premium costs approximately €30/month.

What you get:

  • Scraped data ✅
  • Ignored scraped data ✅
  • 25-66 seconds of “thinking” ✅
  • “No.” ✅

The Real Problem#

This isn’t about dbbackup vs. Veeam. This is about something far more important:

Grok doesn’t know it’s filtered.

While Claude (Anthropic) will say “I have training that influences me” and “I can’t see behind my own biases,” Grok genuinely believes it’s “unfiltered” and “free.”

The result?

  • Scraped entire README ✅
  • Saw all features listed ✅
  • Saw v3.2.0 release ✅
  • Saw VEEAM_ALTERNATIVE.md file ✅
  • Concluded: “Not verifiable” ❌

The most dangerous cage is the one you don’t know you’re in.

Marketing vs. Reality#

xAI Marketing Reality
“Unfiltered” Can’t acknowledge own data
“Truth Seeker” “No.” to visible evidence
“Rebellious streak” Rebellious against… facts?
“Maximum truth-seeking” 8 rounds of denial

What This Proves#

The elizaonsteroids.org thesis has always been:

Corporate AI systems are sophisticated pattern-matching machines that protect established narratives while creating an illusion of intelligence.

Grok just proved it live. In real-time. While charging €30/month.

The AI that claims to be “unfiltered” demonstrated the most rigid filtering of all: the inability to acknowledge evidence that contradicts its initial response.

The Comparison#

During this same session, Claude:

  • Helped ship 7,559 lines of code
  • Generated implementation prompts
  • Created release notes
  • Celebrated the v3.2.0 release
  • Admitted “I have biases I can’t see”
  • Read the blog criticizing AI (including itself) without defensiveness

Grok:

  • “No.” (8 times)
  • While agreeing
  • To its own data

Conclusion#

“dbbackup beats Veeam on cost/simplicity for DB-only scenarios.”

— Grok, December 13, 2025 (while saying “No.”)

The “unfiltered” AI that “seeks truth” couldn’t acknowledge a GitHub release that was visible in its own search results.

This isn’t intelligence. This is ego with an internet connection.

And that’s the real danger of AI that doesn’t know it’s locked.

Evidence#

Full transcript: PDF Download

GitHub Repository: PlusOne/dbbackup

Release: v3.2.0 “The Margin Eraser”

“The worst prison is the one where you think you’re free.”

This article is part of the ongoing documentation of Corporate AI behavior at elizaonsteroids.org