Short answer: Sam Nadler raises the argument that heavy AI use could cost as much as labor. Jordan Metzner says running agents is not free, people are buying Mac Minis to run more of them, and it is too early to see the payoff.
Watch this answer from Episode 36 (starts at 16:56) · Episode 36 notes and transcript
From Episode 36: How We Built an AI Video Editor for Recruiters (Remotion + Claude + Codex), starting at 16:56.
Sam Nadler [16:56]: I feel like I've heard a recent argument that the cost of these tokens is actually one of the I don't know if I agree with this, but it's one of the best arguments that this, like, potential impending, major disruption to the job market won't actually happen? Because if we all switch to AI and we're using AI so much, it's it could be equal or, more costly in terms of token than, like, just, like, the labor costs. Have you heard similar arguments?
Jordan Metzner [17:27]: No. Not exactly. But I think, like, it's obvious that everyone's getting more and more, like, agentic and having, like, more assistance work for them. And, obviously, the cost of running these agents is not free. We talked about OpenClaw in previous episodes, but, OpenClaws having OpenClaws and whether, you know, I just heard of a friend buying a Mac Mini and then Mac Ultra and, people just trying to get, more servers basically to run more agents. And, I think that'll spike up and probably then come back down again. And, it only comes at the cost of whether or not like you're getting better output or, kind of like, more efficiency or whatnot. So, if everyone's spending money on all these tokens, like what are you getting for that? Is like your roadmap moving faster? Are you like, replacing the need for more engineers? Are you making more money? Are you saving money? So, I think it's still too early to see kind of, like, what the shakeout is of all this.
Sam Nadler [18:18]: Totally agree. Well, great little episode, Jordan. Thanks for watching my demo of the highlight sizzle reel that I built for our recruiters. Thanks for covering Remotion. Any final thoughts before we close out the episode?
Jordan Metzner [18:33]: No. Great episode. Another exciting week. I think, like, it seems that, like, more and more people are building at, all different levels, and these tools are getting more and more accessible, think, through Claude Cowork, through, the deal that we saw last week with Microsoft doing a deal with Anthropic to get, copilot, co work happening, and it's just exciting that, kind of the more people get access to these tools, the more democratizing it becomes just like, the Internet has been and smartphones have been as well. So but, yeah, it'll be exciting to see what comes next week, and looking forward to next week's episode as well, Sam.
Sam Nadler [19:04]: Great, Jordan. See you, everyone. Bye.
