OpenAI Mulls Aggressive Token Price Cuts to Preempt Anthropic

OpenAI is eyeing a major slash to its token pricing. The reason? It believes Anthropic is about to do the same thing, and it wants to get there first.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the AI giant is in active discussions about dramatically reducing the cost of tokens — the fundamental unit used to measure and bill for AI usage. The talks are reportedly still fluid, with no final decision locked in.

The move signals an escalating price war in the foundation model market. As competition between leading AI labs intensifies, the cost of accessing frontier models continues its downward spiral. Cheaper tokens mean lower barriers for developers and enterprises building on these platforms.

If OpenAI pulls the trigger, it could force Anthropic and other competitors into a reactive pricing race — compressing margins across the entire industry.