Token burn and business outcomes are not correlated. More burn means more inefficiency, not more value.
The electricity problem
Imagine you walk into a dark room. Turning on a light helps you see. Turning on every light in the building does not help you see better. It's still the same room. Now every surface is equally lit, the contrast is gone, and you're paying for power you didn't use.
Tokens work the same way. A focused prompt with clear scope is the single overhead light over your desk. A sprawling prompt with unlimited exploration is every light in the building — you're burning power, not producing insight.
Tokens are electricity, not output. More throughput doesn't mean more value.
