Apple lowered some engineers' daily AI spending caps to $200 from $300, Bloomberg reports

Apple has lowered how much some employees can spend each day on AI models, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, Nov. 4, citing people with knowledge of the change.

Last month, Apple lowered the daily spending cap for some engineers using AI models to $200 from $300, Bloomberg reported, according to excerpts quoted by 9to5Mac. The company is planning further cuts for some engineering teams that could bring their daily allowances to as little as $100, the people said.

Many groups outside engineering already face a $100 daily cap, and Apple has considered reducing that limit to as little as $25 for some teams, according to Bloomberg. Employees who need higher allowances to do their jobs will be able to seek exemptions from senior leadership, Bloomberg reported.

The budgets cover AI tokens, the units of data processed by models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Google’s Gemini, Reuters said in its summary of the Bloomberg report. Some teams are being encouraged to use cheaper AI models or models that run locally on their devices, Bloomberg reported, according to 9to5Mac and MacRumors.

Employee reactions have been mixed, according to Bloomberg. Its sources said “few workers were using their full $300 daily allowances,” while others see the reductions as a sign of broader cost cutting and worry about possible layoffs, 9to5Mac reported. Bloomberg said it is unclear how much Apple will save, 9to5Mac reported.

Apple declined to comment, The Next Web reported. Reuters said Apple did not immediately respond to its request for comment.

The cuts come as Apple’s overall spending rises. The Next Web reported that Apple said in its annual report on Tuesday, Nov. 3, that research and development costs rose 32% in fiscal 2026 on higher infrastructure and AI costs; 9to5Mac cited the same 32% rise from Apple’s fiscal fourth-quarter results. MacRumors and The Next Web noted that the budget changes come as CEO John Ternus, who took over on Sept. 1, pushes for a leaner company.

Other companies have also set limits. The Next Web reported that Microsoft set division-level AI budgets in July, that Tesla caps staff at $200 a week, that Uber limits each AI coding tool to $1,500 a month and that Accenture caps Claude at $29 a month. Reuters noted that Bloomberg recently reported Goldman Sachs restricted access to some AI coding tools after a review of productivity and risk management.

Apple lowered some engineers’ daily AI spending caps to $200 from $300, Bloomberg reports

Sources