SpaceX Unveils Grok 4.6 at 60% Lower Cost, Pressuring OpenAI and Anthropic
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 12
SpaceX Unveils Grok 4.6 at 60% Lower Cost, Pressuring OpenAI and Anthropic
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Finance · Aug 12
Summary
Grok 4.6 debuted with pricing of $2 per 1 million input tokens and $6 output tokens, which SpaceX and Elon Musk pitched as frontier-level performance at sharply lower cost.
Artificial Analysis said the model scored 61 on its intelligence index—roughly in line with GPT-5.6 Sol—while costing 60%+ less than Claude Opus 5 and undercutting GPT-5.6 Sol on token pricing.
That pricing could squeeze the inference margins OpenAI and Anthropic need as both head toward public markets, with Anthropic reportedly targeting an IPO in September or early October and OpenAI having confidentially filed.
Microsoft is exposed on both fronts through its roughly 27% OpenAI stake valued near $135 billion and a $3.2 billion gain from Anthropic, though Azure’s 43% growth past $100 billion in annual revenue offers a buffer.