alt Hacker NewsTokens are just a type of currency. Stripe is a middleman for currency.
Using something like OpenRouter (or any of the AI Gateways) is better than tying yourself to one LLM provider that can rug pull on pricing or change models in a way you don't like.
The value is in the network effect I think. OpenRouter is popular and has a good head start over anything Stripe could build internally.
Replies
Taikhoom10 • yesterday at 6:17 PM
Yeah, I mean, it looks like a network effect, but anybody can aggregate the models; rather, it is the switching costs in the logs and work, and the cost savings, etc.
Tokens are not a currency, tokens aren’t fungible and cannot be traded