AI

David Rosenthal frames AI's affordability crisis

2026-06-24 digest discussion

  • Category: AI
  • Status: discussion
  • Sources: blog.dshr.org, discussion
  • Summary: In a 2026-06-23 post, David Rosenthal argues that AI platforms have subsidized token pricing to drive demand and that unsustainable burn rates are forcing premature price increases. He cites estimates that providers subsidize usage well above realized token cost (claimed up to roughly 40x for Anthropic and 70x for OpenAI enterprise tiers) and reuses OpenAI's leaked 2025 numbers (13.07B USD revenue, 34B USD costs, 38.53B USD net loss). The piece is commentary synthesizing reporting from Ed Zitron, SemiAnalysis, and business press, not original financials.
  • Why it matters: It connects the AI pricing changes practitioners are seeing (Copilot AI Credits, the paused Anthropic Agent SDK split) to provider unit economics.
  • Follow-up: Track whether the subsidy-ratio claims are corroborated by primary filings as the OpenAI and Anthropic S-1 processes proceed.

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