Michele Catasta, Replit’s head of AI, criticized corporate leaderboards where employees compete based on the amount of AI tokens they use. Catasta said this setup has turned from internal productivity measurement into a display of showmanship, creating a "dystopian" image.
Speaking at Web Summit Rio, Catasta explained that in some companies, employees are encouraged to spend more tokens just to appear higher on the rankings. According to him, this competition does not reflect whether AI usage truly generates value.
Token count does not measure performance
Catasta emphasized that token consumption is not a suitable indicator for measuring employee performance. Using more tokens does not necessarily mean creating greater impact within the company.
He also noted that rewarding AI usage solely based on quantity can encourage unnecessary spending. Catasta compared excessive use to leaving the lights on at home without caring about the electricity bill.
Growing debate in companies
This statement comes at a time when discussions among company leaders about the best way to measure AI usage are intensifying. Many executives are reconsidering whether increased usage automatically translates to higher productivity.
Last month, Amazon announced it had removed its internal AI usage leaderboard. A company spokesperson said the system was not designed to promote AI use just for the sake of usage.
During the same period, Uber’s Chief Operating Officer Andrew Macdonald said he did not see proportional productivity gains despite rising AI costs.
Charles Holive, Chief AI Officer at BNP Paribas CIB, described this approach, known as "tokenmaxxing," as a "showmanship metric."
While Catasta welcomed the recent shift in narrative around "tokenmaxxing," he pointed out that this habit increases energy consumption and reduces capacity that could be allocated to other uses.
He conveyed the message that the focus should be on how correctly and efficiently AI is used, rather than how much it is used.
