Framework
The Tokenomics Test
Why cost per token is the wrong number to watch.
How it works
- 1Cost per token is the wrong metric. Measurable productivity per dollar is the right one.
- 2Match model tier to task value: a cheaper model for UI work, a top-tier model for vulnerability testing.
- 3Engineering output is measurable today. Most other functions are not, which is why most AI spend can't be defended.
- 4If you can't name the productivity gain, you're buying a subscription, not leverage.
Hear it on the podcast
Tokenomics Will Wreck Your Margins: The AI Model Routing Workflow That Cuts SpendListen to the episodeMore from this episode
The Intelligence BoundaryTarun's term for the undefined line between the data you hand a model and the understanding it derives from it.The Hybrid Routing ModelTarun's prescription for where each workload should actually run.The Investor-Subsidized BillWhy today's AI pricing isn't the real number.The Time and Materials TrapWhy paying by the hour stretches the work to fill the meter.The Acquisition-Led Cold StartHow Gruve solved the enterprise cold-start problem.Twice Is EnoughTarun's personal rule for risk and mistakes.Energy Abundance Over AI AbundanceTarun's reframe of what AI's promised abundance actually depends on.
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