Output over Hours: Why Using Tokens to Measure Work Is Stupid
teodorio · x · 2026-08-18
The author discusses work metrics in the AI era, noting that most people actually work 2-3 hours a day, and white-collar workers should be judged by output, not hours. Traditional hourly metrics are remnants of the industrial era, just as token spend is now a stupid metric for AI work. Since output quality is hard to measure in real-time outside markets, lazy managers use simple proxies like hours or lines of code. The author cites the view that if AI can do 8 hours of work in 1 hour, one should arbitrage the price difference and enjoy the free time rather than worrying about job loss.
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