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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55 billion tokens for under $1,200: why AI's subsidy era is ending

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