💸 You’re paying for tokens. Now what?
Exponential View Azeem Azhar
AI companies are shifting from bundled subscription pricing to usage-based metered pricing, particularly for coding tools, as some users consume extremely high volumes of tokens that create substantial variable costs for providers. Uber has implemented a $1,500 per month or $18,000 per year cap on agentic coding tools for its 5,000 developers, which represents less than 1% of the company's projected free cash flow. The shift follows historical precedent from internet advertising's transition from bundled impression-based pricing to metered cost-per-action models, which ultimately expanded market size and profitability rather than contracting it.
Why it matters
Companies are having to pay for tokens. Is this a good thing or a not?
