As enterprises pour hundreds of millions into generative AI, a new cost metric—token usage—is reshaping budgets and strategy. Tokens represent the amount of content an AI model analyzes and generates, and according to WIRED, companies are increasingly grappling with the 'pretty crazy' consumption levels. Roughly 300 companies addressed token concerns on earnings calls in April and May 2026, up from just 93 a year ago.
The Rise of Tokenomics
Token usage is soaring across industries. Royal Bank of Canada’s CEO disclosed that token usage surged 500 percent over six months. At Cisco, CEO Chuck Robbins said on an earnings call that a third of employees use an internal AI chatbot daily, so 'the token usage is getting pretty, pretty crazy.' Amplitude CEO Spenser Skates noted that top engineers are 'spending thousands of dollars a month or more on tokens.' Box CEO Aaron Levine called token budgeting 'one of the most important' and 'heated' topics. WIRED’s review of transcripts from data provider AlphaStreet shows token mentions in earnings calls more than tripled year over year.
Savings and Supply Chain Wins
Despite cost concerns, some companies report net gains. 8x8, a software firm, uses Anthropic’s Claude for drafting emails, analyzing customer feedback, and writing code. Over 18 months, the company estimates saving $5 million annually by canceling dozens of software subscriptions partly replaced by Claude. Joel Neeb, 8x8’s chief transformation and business operations officer, says the annualized Claude bill is 'well below' that figure, which 'makes my chief financial officer happy.' He declined to share exact AI spending.
In a direct supply chain application, Long Island, New York-based clothing brand Baseball Lifestyle 101—expecting $250 million in sales this year—told 50 top managers to spend about 20 percent of their salary on AI tokens monthly. Cofounder Bill Rom says cost may exceed $100,000 a month by year-end, but Claude recently helped land a $1 million order by identifying that a retailer was running low on sizes of the popular ice-cream-patterned shorts. 'That’s a day and a half of work that can now happen' faster, WIRED reports.
| Company | Token Usage/Concern | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 8x8 | Annual Claude bill well below $5M saved | $5M annual savings from cancelling subscriptions |
| Baseball Lifestyle 101 | Monthly cost may exceed $100k | $1M order from Claude-identified inventory shortage |
| Royal Bank of Canada | Token usage up 500% in 6 months | Cost concern |
| Cisco | 1/3 employees use AI chatbot daily | Usage 'pretty crazy' |
| Amplitude | Engineers spending thousands/month on tokens | High individual usage |
| Box | Token budgeting a 'heated' topic | Strategic focus |
Managing the Token Budget
Executives at several companies are developing or buying systems to monitor token usage and choose the lowest-priced model for a given prompt. Others are still balancing hiring budgets with token allocations. Prices fluctuate and new, more expensive models are released monthly, creating planning challenges. Some companies, like 8x8, encourage more AI use despite costs; Neeb expects savings and costs to eventually even out as adoption spreads.
For enterprise technology decision-makers, tokenomics is now a core governance issue. While tools like Claude can drive supply chain wins—spotting inventory gaps that yield million-dollar orders—unchecked token consumption can erode ROI. The key is deploying AI where it delivers measurable outcomes, as demonstrated by 8x8’s savings and Baseball Lifestyle 101’s revenue capture.
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