AI Coding Was Never Cheap. You Were Just Being Subsidized.

Short summary

GitHub Copilot's shift to token-based billing exposed a hard truth: the $20/month pricing model was never real—it was venture capital subsidy. Developers now face bills exceeding $750 monthly under heavy use. The deeper cost is psychological: when building feels free, you build without validation; the subsidy's end forces a reckoning about what's worth actually creating.

• •GitHub Copilot's pricing shift revealed venture capital was subsidizing the $20/month illusion—real costs were always much higher
• •Heavy users now see token-based bills spike to $750+ monthly, forcing cost recalibration
• •Cheaper tools enabled careless building; the subsidy's end demands developers validate ideas before shipping

Generated with AI, which can make mistakes.