# Altman calls tokens a fake unit that misses business value

> Original title: Sam Altman calls tokens “a kind of fake unit”: you can count them, but a token count does not tell a business what it got for the money.

- Source: Rohan Paul
- Published: 2026-11-02T13:22:08.000Z
- Bad Influence: https://badinfluence.news/items/gtugkfkhooj90e36c22v54v6c
- Original: https://x.com/rohanpaul_ai/status/2117245878612209932

## Summary

Sam Altman says tokens are a "kind of fake unit," since a token count does not show what a business gained for its money. Rohan Paul adds that the only defense of tokens is information-theoretic: models stream noise with signal, so token counts approach Shannon's minimum once waste is removed.

## Post

Sam Altman calls tokens “a kind of fake unit”: you can count them, but a token count does not tell a business what it got for the money.

The one defense of tokens is information-theoretic: models still stream noise along with signal, and once that waste is removed, token counts approach Shannon’s floor, the minimum needed to carry the actual information.

----
Full video on "Cheeky Pint" YouTube channel, (link in comment)

[Video](https://badinfluence.news/api/img-proxy?u=https%3A%2F%2Fpbs.twimg.com%2Famplify_video_thumb%2F2117245066137964544%2Fimg%2Fiz9FYfaD8yRuweuz.jpg&mode=thumb&exp=1793836800&sig=f55710bbc46b1733)