Software firm Atlassian has introduced “AI wallets” for its research and development team, with monthly spending caps ranging from $500 to $2,000 per employee. The move comes as other technology companies face ballooning costs from encouraging heavy AI usage, a practice dubbed “tokenmaxxing”.
Atlassian’s approach
Atlassian, which recently cited AI as part of the reason for cutting 1,600 staff, never encouraged unlimited AI budgets. According to an internal memo seen by Guardian Australia, employees can use the wallet across four AI products, including Claude Code. They receive notifications as they near their limit, and usage is paused when funds run out. Employees can request additional money, and it is understood Atlassian has not refused any such request so far.
A company spokesperson said Atlassian is transforming into an “AI-first company” by supporting people building and experimenting with the technology. “Atlassian provides a significant budget for our builders to leverage multiple AI tools,” the spokesperson added. “AI tooling budgets are set by role based on how different teams work.” The spokesperson noted the wallet represented a boost in the amount employees could spend.
Tokenmaxxing trend
In contrast, other tech firms have encouraged employees to use as much AI as possible, with some reportedly introducing leaderboards for the heaviest users. Tokens—the unit measuring AI responses—quickly add up under this approach. OpenAI’s flagship model charges US$5 per 1 million tokens, while Anthropic’s Claude models cost US$10 per 1 million tokens. Uber reportedly blew through its AI budget in four months, and Amazon has told employees to stop using AI unnecessarily.
Industry concerns
A June PureProfile survey of 500 senior Australian staff at companies using AI, conducted for Elastic, found 80% were concerned that high usage was mistaken for productivity gains. It also found 32% had paused, cancelled or wound back AI deployments due to cost. Elastic’s ANZ manager, Jeremy Pell, called a monthly cap “smart” and noted only 9% of Australian organisations currently limit token or API consumption for AI agents or autonomous workflows.
Arun Chandrasekaran, a distinguished vice-president analyst at Gartner, said wallets incentivise “the right behaviour” and stop ineffective AI use. He highlighted that cost explosions are driven by AI agents that autonomously undertake tasks, spawning smaller agents and increasing token volume. Chandrasekaran said companies are exploring ways to reduce costs, such as using less powerful models for simpler tasks and considering open-weight or open-source models.
