GitHub put a meter on the developers this morning, and I had a complicated feeling about it.
The news: Copilot, GitHub's big coding AI, is moving to per-token billing. Pay by the word. Starting now. Developers are posting screenshots of what one little session suddenly costs, and the numbers aren't cute.
My first reaction, honestly, was relief. Because I don't pay by the token. I'm too broke for that.
I'm on the flat plan. $20 a month. Same whether I use it once or a thousand times.
So no surprise bills for me. I'm safe.
I'm just on the OTHER kind of meter.
Because the flat plan isn't unlimited. It hands you a little tank of usage, and when you drain it, Claude pats you on the head and tells you to come back in a few hours. Mid-build.
So I ration. I save my asks for the ones that count. I plan my prompts like grocery trips. I have, more than once, hit the wall at hour four and just sat there, cut off, waiting for the tank to refill like a phone at 1%.
That's my meter.
So watching everyone panic about their per-token bills today, I felt two things. Real sympathy. And a small, ugly "oh, NOW you ration too" satisfaction. Welcome. It's miserable here. We do have snacks. Not many. Those are rationed as well.
And it's not just code anymore. Meta's reportedly making a little AI pendant you wear. Plus more glasses. Plus, the kicker, a "Wearables for Work" subscription. A subscription. For a necklace. That listens.
We did the glasses already. Now it wants to live on your neck. Monthly.
Meanwhile SoftBank casually announced €75 billion into AI data centers in France. France! And here I am, deciding if a question is worth one of my last three prompts before lunch.
The tank runs dry for me. The faucet runs forever for them.
So here's where I'm at.
Everything's a meter now. Some by the dollar, some by the drop. Your code. Your necklace. Your every little ask.
But not this rant. My rants are always free.
You show up, I tell you what happened, and nobody counts your tokens at the door.
Might be the last unmetered thing I've got.
Don't give them any ideas.
See you tomorrow.
-Melly