Elon Musk admits Grok Bot’s operational costs are unsustainably high after previously praising its rapid growth
Elon Musk has admitted SpaceX’s AI agent, Grok Bot, had “unsustainably high” operational costs compared to its revenue.
His admission followed user complaints about rapidly reaching their usage limits on the platform.
Musk asked users if upgrading to a higher subscription tier was financially feasible but did not provide specifics on operational costs or any reduction in usage limits.
Grok Bot is available to users on SpaceX’s $30 monthly “Premium” or higher subscription tiers.
Grok Bot fixes for improved token efficiency and smarter behavior are underway
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 8, 2026
Cost concern
Users can also choose $100 “Super” or $200 “Ultra” plans for higher usage, though it’s unclear if affected users subscribed at these levels.
Previously, Musk hailed Grok Bot as the fastest-growing product, anticipating wider deployment soon.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Grok Bot reached 800,000 weekly users in early October, with numbers more than doubling in a month.
Complaints arose about unaccounted usage spikes, but Cursor attributed these to a dashboard problem, now resolved.
SpaceX, having acquired Cursor for $60 billion, aligns subscription tiers with xAI’s pricing plan, sharing a weekly usage allowance.
‘SNL’ Makes Grok Do An “Epic Vulgar Roast” Of Elon Musk On ‘Weekend Update’: “The Worst Thing South Africa Has Ever Done” https://t.co/cINbyRD7Dz
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) November 8, 2026
