AI coding costs could top developer salaries by 2028
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Gartner predicts that by 2028, the cost of AI coding tools will exceed the average developer's salary, driven by a shift from flat-fee to consumption-based pricing. AI agents burn tokens continuously, and bills are already jumping from $20–$100/month to $2,000–$5,000 per developer. The core problem is visibility: most vendors don't clearly show how token usage is calculated, leaving companies unable to forecast or control spend. Gartner recommends engineering leaders categorize tasks by autonomy level, route simpler tasks to cheaper models, and practice context engineering to reduce token input. Microsoft and GitHub have already pulled back on heavy AI coding tool usage due to cost pressures, and some firms are capping employee AI spend entirely.
