# The Token Budget Problem: Why Multi-Agent AI Is Harder Than the Vendors Make It Look

- slug: the-token-budget-problem-why-multi-agent-ai-is-harder-than-the-vendors-make-it-look
- date: 2026-04-06
- category: Agentics

Anthropic's own data shows token usage explains 80% of multi-agent performance gains. Single agents cost 4x chat; multi-agent costs 15x. The labs say start simple. The enterprise tooling vendors are selling the opposite.

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