55 billion tokens for under $1,200: why AI's subsidy era is ending
McDonaghMatthew · x · 2026-09-13
The author reports using an estimated $80,000 worth of AI (55 billion output tokens across five accounts in four months) for under $1,200 in subscription fees. He clarifies that figure reflects API-equivalent pricing, not providers' compute losses — but the gap changes behavior: near-flat bills encourage endless experimentation, and users start planning around assistance that would look extravagant if metered.
- He argues the "pause AI" debate is really about economics and profit security, not national security, and that the era of extraordinary subsidies is ending.
- Subscriptions conceal consumption differences: an email-writing user and tireless AI agents pay the same monthly fee. The assumption that modest subscriptions can absorb ever-expanding machine work is increasingly indefensible.
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