ELC NYC Roundtables: The AI Bill Has Arrived. How Are Engineering Leaders Managing It?
At the end of 2025, many engineering leaders were asking whether AI tooling was worth the investment. That question has largely been answered. The harder question now is: how do you manage costs that exceed the software budgets you're used to?
Microsoft just pulled back Claude Code licenses across its Windows and Surface teams. Uber burned through its entire 2026 AI coding budget in four months. GitHub had to pause new sign-ups because agentic workloads were costing more than monthly plans could absorb. Are these signals that the experimental phase is over and the operational phase is harder than we all anticipated?
Join fellow engineering leaders at ELC x NYC for an interactive roundtable discussion around four themes, all drawn from real conversations with engineering leaders now navigating AI at scale:
- From Licenses to Metered Utilities: AI spend doesn't behave like traditional software budgets. How are leaders adapting?
- Governing Usage Without Killing Momentum: Token costs scale with how much the model thinks. What are some best practices for setting guardrails without hindering productivity?
- Renegotiating the ROI Conversation: The productivity gains are real, but so is the bill. How are engineering leaders making the case to finance and your fellow business leaders?
- Build, Buy, or Pull Back? As costs mature, so does the calculus. What makes sense for engineering leaders to double down on and what makes sense to wind down?
ELC x NYC roundtables feature honest, peer-driven conversations in small groups about the patterns you're seeing, the tradeoffs you're making, and the topics you're looking to learn from others.
Light refreshments will be served, with plenty of time for networking before and afterwards. Attendance is free, but space is limited, so please RSVP early!
Questions? Reach out to the ELC NYC Local Chapter Leaders.