Why a $250K AI expert burns $500K in tokens — and why that's the right answer
The general contractor analogy.
A $250K AI expert sitting on $500K in tokens sounds like paying twice — until you frame it as a GC on a construction project. Steel, concrete, lumber, and subs always cost more than the GC. The materials ARE the building. Budget for the build, not just the builder.
Salesforce's 2026 Anthropic spend
— Marc Benioff on the All-In Podcast, May 16, 2026.
If you cut the steel, you don't save money — you just don't build the building.
Three pieces from the last 30 days that reinforce this analogy. Forward to the executive who's still calling it hype.
Dimon: "The technology is so powerful, it's worth the trillion-dollar investment." The GC isn't the cost. The build is.
Read the original →A CRM-vendor CEO publicly committing nine figures to one vendor in one year. That's the materials line, not the headcount line.
Read the original →Anthropic's run-rate revenue went $250M → $30B in two years. The materials side of the AI economy is the side getting capitalized.
Read the original →The catalog is free. The live session is where The GC Isn't the Cost gets applied to your specific stuck conversation — built for boards, ELTs, and founder-CEO 1:1s. Half-day, $7,500.