# OpenAI researchers might be spending >$4M/day on tokens (at API prices)

> Source: <https://www.abtin.com/blog/2026-09-22-openai-spend.html>
> Published: 2026-09-23 17:16:05+00:00

# OpenAI researchers might be spending >$4m/day on tokens (at API prices)

Based on this quote from the [GPT6 announcement](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/): “Valued at API prices, daily token usage has exceeded $600 for the median researcher and $7,000 for researchers at the 90th percentile”.

Estimated slop ratioWhere 0% is full human with absolutely zero AI involvement and 100% is the cause of great dismay.: 80%

September 22, 2026

An estimate for **1,125 researchers**, assuming 25% of 4,500 employees are researchers. This values token usage at API prices; it does not estimate OpenAI’s internal costs.

## 1Assumptions

OpenAI reports daily token usage above $600 for the median researcher and above $7,000 at the 90th percentile, valued at API prices.[\[1\]](#ref1) The Financial Times reported about 4,500 employees in March 2026, as relayed by Reuters.[\[2\]](#ref2)

Assume **25% are researchers**, and their daily usage follows a **lognormal distribution**. Treat $600 and $7,000 as exact quantiles for this calculation. Neither the 25% share nor the distribution is reported by OpenAI.

## 2Calculation

Let X be a researcher’s daily usage value, measured in USD. For a lognormal distribution:[\[3\]](#ref3)

Here, Φ⁻¹ is the inverse standard normal cumulative distribution; Φ⁻¹(0.90) ≈ 1.281552.

The mean—not the median—is the quantity to multiply by headcount:

The estimate excludes non-researchers’ usage and training compute. It is an expected daily value under the assumptions, not a measured company total.

## 3Usage and concentration

**Limits.** The source says “exceeded,” not “equal to.” Its two thresholds do not establish the mean or the upper tail, so $4.24M is not a proven lower bound. The March headcount and later usage observations are from different dates. All three charts are calculations, not employee data.

## References

OpenAI. [*Research acceleration: The view inside OpenAI.*](https://openai.com/index/research-acceleration-view-inside-openai/) September 6, 2026, §1. Median observation: mid-August. Repeated in [*Introducing GPT-6 Sol and Luna*](https://openai.com/index/introducing-gpt-6-sol-and-luna/), September 22, 2026.

Reuters. [*OpenAI to nearly double workforce to 8,000 by end-2026, FT reports.*](https://www.reuters.com/business/openai-nearly-double-workforce-8000-by-end-2026-ft-reports-2026-03-21/) March 21, 2026. Reported headcount: 4,500; 8,000 was a hiring target. Reuters did not independently verify the FT report.

NIST/SEMATECH. [*e-Handbook of Statistical Methods*, §1.3.6.6.9: Lognormal Distribution.](https://www.itl.nist.gov/div898/handbook/eda/section3/eda3669.htm) Distribution, quantiles, and mean. Parameters and results calculated here.