Apple has reduced the amount its employees can spend on artificial intelligence tools, tightening internal usage limits as the company faces rising AI expenses despite efforts to integrate the technology into its engineering and business operations.
The company lowered the daily AI spending allowance for some engineers from $300 to $200 in October, with further reductions under consideration that could bring the limit down to $100 for certain engineering teams, according to a Bloomberg report cited by TechCrunch on Nov. 4.
Apple is also considering reducing daily AI spending limits for some non-engineering employees to as little as $25, the report said. Several non-engineering groups already operate under a $100 daily cap.
The restrictions cover AI tokens, the units of data processed by artificial intelligence models when responding to prompts and performing tasks. Employees use services including Anthropic’s Claude, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.
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The move reflects a growing effort among technology companies to control the costs of AI adoption after initially encouraging employees to use the tools extensively in the hope of improving productivity.
Employees who require higher spending allowances will reportedly be able to seek exemptions from senior executives. Some teams are also being encouraged to use less expensive AI models or models that run locally on their devices.
Apple did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
Rising AI costs prompt tighter controls
The spending restrictions come as Apple attempts to balance its AI ambitions with mounting operating expenses. According to Bloomberg, reactions among employees have been mixed. Some workers said they rarely used their full $300 daily allowances, suggesting the reductions may have limited practical effects. Others viewed the restrictions as part of a broader cost-cutting effort, raising concerns about possible restructuring and layoffs.
The company has also brought in outside consultants to evaluate efficiency and operations in some divisions. Apple’s research and development expenses increased 32% in fiscal 2026, driven partly by higher infrastructure and AI-related costs. Its companywide operating expenses rose 22% to $75.5 billion, according to the company’s financial disclosures cited by Bloomberg.
The figures underscore the financial challenge facing Apple as it seeks to expand AI use while managing the costs of running increasingly sophisticated models.
The restrictions come amid a broader shift across Silicon Valley, where companies are reassessing whether the productivity benefits of AI justify the expense of widespread adoption.
Several major technology companies have introduced similar controls. Microsoft has tightened internal AI spending allowances, Tesla has imposed a $200 weekly limit on employee AI spending, and Uber has capped individual AI coding tools at $1,500 per month, according to Bloomberg.
Meta has also introduced token budgets and encouraged employees to shift toward internally developed AI tools.
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The trend follows an earlier period of aggressive AI adoption, sometimes described as “tokenmaxxing,” in which companies encouraged workers to consume more AI tokens as a measure of productivity.
For Apple, the challenge is determining how to maintain momentum in AI adoption while preventing rising usage costs from undermining its financial and operational goals.
The spending reductions also come as new CEO John Ternus pushes the company toward a leaner operating structure, with fewer management layers and greater efficiency.
It remains unclear how much the restrictions will save Apple, particularly because some employees were not using their full allowances. However, the changes signal a shift in corporate AI strategy, from encouraging unrestricted experimentation toward closer scrutiny of costs and measurable productivity gains.