Apple Cuts Internal AI Spending Limits for Engineers as Companies Rethink Token Costs

Apple is reducing the amount its engineering teams can spend on AI each day, Bloomberg reported, marking a notable shift for a company that has worked to embed the technology into its engineering processes.

According to the report, Apple lowered the daily AI spending cap for engineering teams in October from $300 to $200. Further reductions are planned, with some allowances expected to drop to $100 a day, sources told Bloomberg. For staff outside engineering, the company is reportedly considering a daily limit as low as $25.

The move reflects a broader change in how companies approach AI usage costs. Earlier this year, a wave of so-called tokenmaxxing swept the industry, as businesses encouraged employees to use AI as heavily as possible in pursuit of loosely defined efficiency gains. That enthusiasm faded as token bills mounted, leading many companies to conclude that rationing usage was a more financially prudent strategy.

The cutbacks also highlight lingering concerns about the gap between the cost of building and running AI and the often unclear productivity benefits the technology is expected to deliver, a question that continues to weigh on enterprise adoption decisions.