# Your tokenmaxxing is not valuemaxxing

DevFeed: [Your tokenmaxxing is not valuemaxxing](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/your-tokenmaxxing-is-not-valuemaxxing-2204.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://stackoverflow.blog/2026/08/11/your-tokenmaxxing-is-not-valuemaxxing/>)

Author: Phoebe Sajor

Published: 2026-08-11T07:40:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Stack Overflow Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/stack-overflow-blog.md>)

Topics: [AI-assisted coding](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-assisted-coding.md>), [AI Bots](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/ai-bots.md>)

Tags: [agentic](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic.md>), [agentic-ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agentic-ai.md>), [agents](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/agents.md>), [ai](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai.md>), [ai-coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ai-coding.md>), [cloud](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/cloud.md>), [coding](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/coding.md>), [developers](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/developers.md>), [development](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/development.md>), [infrastructure](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/infrastructure.md>), [junior](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/junior.md>), [platform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/platform.md>), [podcast](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/podcast.md>), [pull-requests](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/pull-requests.md>), [release](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/release.md>), [se-stackoverflow](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/se-stackoverflow.md>), [se-tech](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/se-tech.md>), [skills](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/skills.md>), [speed](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/speed.md>)

## AI overview

A discussion of why token usage is not a useful measure of value from AI coding agents. It considers release speed and PR merges as measures of agentic outcomes, alongside the effects of broader access to skills on junior developers and the talent pipeline.

## Source excerpt

Ryan is joined by Coder's Rob Whiteley to chat about why tokenmaxxing isn't proving real value and just triggering Goodhart's Law, how release speed and PR merges can help you measure agentic outcomes with or without a human-in-the-loop, and what the democratization of skills means for junior developers and the talent pipeline.