OpenRouter token volume grew 25x in a year, illustrating Jevons paradox

rohanpaul_ai · x · 2026-08-30

Rohan Paul argues that while investors think in linear percentage terms, AI usage is compounding at incredible multiples. OpenRouter's weekly token volume rose 25x from December 2024 to the end of 2025, then tripled again in early 2026. Quoting Cathie Wood, he notes that a 25-fold annual increase in inferred tokens cascading through the economy could push real GDP growth toward double digits, a textbook example of Jevons paradox.

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