Something I’ve been noticing recently is that while the cost per token on specific models hasn’t gone up, the provided interfaces for using those models are starting to chew up significantly larger numbers of tokens for the same tasks that used fewer tokens with older versions of the interface software just a few months ago. Likely the interfaces are applying more expensive guardrail prompts and charging the end user for those tokens — but the end result is that it costs 4x as much to get the same work done.
Lol. Lmao even. Rofl perhaps.
Thus just in: handing your employees a bunch of nail guns with near zero effort put into training them on how to use the nail guns has resulted in terrible outcomes, to no one’s surprise.
Its possible to use the tools efficiently at a low cost.
But the average dev Ive worked with has zero clue how to do this and has had zero training and will just rip through tokens willy nilly.
Yeah no. If my boss comes to tell me that from now on my “productivity” will be measured in token usage rather than actual “production”, you can bet I will use agents for every fucking thing. Hell, I’ll even make a desktop clock that works by asking the IA what time is it every milisecond and then updating the time on screen every time. I’m gonna burn tokens till you regret it.
If after this happens, the rules of billing change and my boss starts getting charged per token usage instead of a flat charge per month, that’s not my problem; until my productivity stops being measured in token usage, you are gonna pay dumb money for your dumbness.
If my boss comes to tell me that from now on my “productivity” will be measured in token usage rather than actual “production”
Did your boss actually say this, or are you just going off of some memes you saw and think thats something happening often.
Most companies care about getting work done in as few tokens as possible now, developers that can achieve the same results but with less tokens are extremely valuable.
Not only that, but less tokens also inherently means faster.
Any company that is blowing through tokens, without any effort put into training employees how to use the tools better, deserve to fail.
