LLM Tokenomics: New Economics Making 'Cheap' Engineers Expensive
From token leaderboards and LLM FinOps to the rise of the 'Agent Shepherd', the panel unpacks what LLM Tokenomics means for engineering teams and developer productivity. They debate whether tokens are replacing developer time, why AI productivity gains are so inconsistent, and what makes a great engineer when English becomes the new programming language. They also look at what AI token costs do to engineering budgets, and whether SaaS is dead.
Special Guests
Sebastian Gebski
Director of Engineering at AutoPay and author of the 'No Kill Switch' blog, writing on engineering leadership and AI's impact on developer productivity.
Timestamps
00:00Welcome: Meet Sebastian Gebski, Michael Cooper & Kamal03:47What Is LLM Tokenomics?05:09Tokens vs. Man-Hours: Are LLM Tokens Replacing Developer Time?06:10Theory of Constraints in Software Engineering07:12From 'LLMs Writing Code Is Not OK' to Doing It Intelligently08:31Token Leaderboards & Claude Opus vs. Haiku10:27Why Developers Resist Agentic Workflows12:15LLM FinOps: AI Token Cost Management17:00Why AI Productivity Gains Are Wildly Inconsistent22:19How Multitasking Engineers Use AI to Go 5-10x Faster28:34Structured Thinking Is the New Coding Skill33:08Is English the New Programming Language?34:36Will AI Replace Software Engineers? The 'Agent Shepherd'35:45'What and Why Beat How'37:05What Is Good Code in the Age of AI?38:32Shadow IT 2.0: Building Your Own App With AI41:09Fast Fashion SaaS & 'Box Organising'42:16Why AI Is Forcing Engineers to Write Better Documentation43:15The Catch-22 of Building AI With AI48:46Would You Invest in a SaaS Startup Today? Is SaaS Dead?51:19What Is SaaS, Really?53:01The Duolingo Test: Which SaaS Products Will Survive AI?53:31Closing & Where to Find Sebastian's BlogAbout This Episode
- What is "LLM Tokenomics: New Economics Making 'Cheap' Engineers Expensive" about?
- From token leaderboards and LLM FinOps to the rise of the 'Agent Shepherd', the panel unpacks what LLM Tokenomics means for engineering teams and developer productivity. They debate whether tokens are replacing developer time, why AI productivity gains are so inconsistent, and what makes a great engineer when English becomes the new programming language. They also look at what AI token costs do to engineering budgets, and whether SaaS is dead.
- What topics does this episode cover?
- This episode is filed under AI & Agents, Growth & Pricing, SaaS Strategy on Agentic SaaS Talks.
- How long is this episode, and when was it published?
- "LLM Tokenomics: New Economics Making 'Cheap' Engineers Expensive" runs 54 min and was published on April 13, 2026.
- Who is featured in this episode?
- This episode features Sebastian Gebski as a guest, in conversation with the Agentic SaaS Talks hosts.
- What are the key moments in this episode?
- Key moments include: What Is LLM Tokenomics?; Tokens vs. Man-Hours: Are LLM Tokens Replacing Developer Time?; Theory of Constraints in Software Engineering; From 'LLMs Writing Code Is Not OK' to Doing It Intelligently; Token Leaderboards & Claude Opus vs. Haiku; Why Developers Resist Agentic Workflows; LLM FinOps: AI Token Cost Management; Why AI Productivity Gains Are Wildly Inconsistent. The timestamps on this page jump to each one on YouTube.
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