OpenAI’s Top Token Consumer Consumes 100 Billion Monthly, Yet Still Trails Global Leader

Sam Altman revealed that OpenAI’s most intensive internal user consumes approximately 100 billion tokens per month, a figure he noted is not even the highest globally. During a recent enterprise event on Tuesday, the OpenAI CEO highlighted the dramatic shift in consumption habits over the past six and a half years.

Altman explained that when the company first began, its top user burned through just 100,000 tokens a month—a volume that was "very likely the token leader in the world" at the time. However, six and a half years later, that same figure represents the global per capita average. In contrast, OpenAI’s current highest spender utilizes around 100 billion tokens monthly.

Despite this massive internal usage, Altman admitted that OpenAI discovered an external entity spending even more, a revelation he described as a personal "embarrassment."

The culture within OpenAI is known for its prolific token consumption. The company reportedly maintains a token leaderboard, and staff members occasionally showcase their high usage figures on X. This environment is partly fueled by the fact that OpenAI itself sells the tokens. In fact, some internal spending appears to exceed the 100-billion benchmark. For instance, Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, posted a screenshot showing 603 billion tokens used in a single 30-day period. Additionally, The New York Times reported that one employee had consumed 210 billion tokens in just one week.

While OpenAI continues to unleash its models, other major corporations are reining in their expenditures. Amazon recently discontinued its token leaderboard, and Uber reportedly implemented token caps after its Chief Operating Officer expressed concerns that the spending was becoming difficult to justify.

Altman referenced a popular meme during the panel discussion: "My company spent my entire 2026 budget in Q1, can you make this more efficient?" He emphasized that the company is actively working to enhance efficiency, pushing its models to deliver greater value for lower costs.

The shift in corporate attitude toward spending has been abrupt. Altman noted that at the start of 2026, cost was "never an issue," and employees were content with their usage levels. Now, however, he characterized AI costs as a "huge issue" for businesses.

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Source: Yahoo News Generated at: 2026-06-03 18:06:35 UTC