Multiple (VentureBeat, The Decoder, XDA)·high signal
Anthropic's decision to separate programmatic credits reveals a structural mismatch: some $20/month Pro users consumed hundreds to thousands of dollars in API tokens through autonomous agents that 'bypassed caching mechanisms' making flat-rate plans viable. This is the first major pricing signal that agentic AI usage fundamentally differs from chat usage — expect other providers to implement similar metering. Builders should budget for agent-class workloads at API rates ($20/month Pro credit disappears fast at $15/MTok for Opus), not subscription rates.