[fooey]

I keep asking our product team what the plan is when our API/Infra costs eventually skyrocket and our AI features become unsustainable, but there's absolutely zero preparedness.

We throw in all these cute little AI features to fill out marketing bullet points because they're basically free, but if they had real cost we're going to have no choice but to take them away.

[paodealho]

Recently while interviewing for a SWE position, I was talking to the company's VP of engineering and expressed my concern over these LLM tools precisely because of the economics of it, because right now most if not all of these tools are being subsidized. Also, the environmental impact.

I was talking mainly about code generation tools, which can be completely shut down today without affecting production. Not even considering LLMs that are implemented in user facing features or customer service right now.

The guy's response: "oh but these things will surely get cheaper. Every technology gets cheaper with time. And about the environment, yeah... unfortunately there's not much we can do."

That's the level of forethought for a VP of engineering where I live.

[therobots927]

That’s the level of forethought encouraged by investors and the CEO in all likelihood. VPs are just doing their jobs. Even if they might agree with you, that sort of sentiment is a quick way to get you on the CEO / board’s bad side. The incentives are perfectly aligned to keep shoving air into this bubble for the time being.

[bigbuppo]

But you gotta have that AI strategy or your good numbers won't go up. You can't be left behind in this business of business. I hear everyone is already moving on to post-agentic AI, whatever that means.

[bdangubic]

What is the real AI cost at which point this is an issue for a corporation you think? I contract at a place that gives $1,000/month budget per SWE (5 Max accounts) and I am sure if the price was 10x that no one would even blink.

It is basically cost-benefit analysis just like with any other cost (and there is always option to revert to local?)

[smcl]

Don't worry your users will rejoice when you rip them out. I know when Atlassian gets hit by this and has to disable their AI features their products will be a little bit less unresponsive. They'll still suck, but they'll suck a bit less