The article explores tokenmaxxing, the practice of optimizing AI model usage to reduce costs. Top-tier AI models cost up to 100 times more per token than smaller ones, yet many users default to flagship models for simple tasks like email writing that don’t require such power. Uber burned through its 2026 AI budget in roughly four months, while Meta employees consumed approximately 60 trillion tokens in 30 days, costing an estimated $900 million at list prices. Processing 1,000 invoices costs 100 times less on a budget model ($0.30) compared to a premium one ($30), making model selection critical. Recommended techniques include picking the right model for each task, writing clear prompts to avoid iterations, starting new chats for new topics, caching recurring instructions, and batching non-urgent requests for a 50% discount.
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