Did Big Tech Get AI Pricing Wrong? (Even M365 Copilot?)

Microsoft 365 Copilot at $30/month felt expensive in 2023. In 2026, it might be the bargain of the decade. Here's why AI is currently priced too low - and what it means for your business. ➡️ Do you need help with your Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption or other digital transformation? Get in touch https://brightideasagency.com/engage 💡Responsible AI for Business Users - a new on-demand course focused on keeping you safe while using AI. https://learn.brightideas.agency/cour... 📨 Sign up to receive our mailing list updates https://mailchi.mp/7f5ac2e809a5/brigh... 📕 Check out Nick's book on AI adoption for smaller businesses, Who's in the Copilot's Seat https://brightideasagency.com/book 🖥️ Connect with Nick on LinkedIn at   / nickdc   or the Bright Ideas Agency page at   / brightideasagency   When Microsoft announced Microsoft 365 Copilot at $30 per user per month in July 2023, the reaction was brutal. "Eye-wateringly expensive." "Sticker shock." Three years later, the picture looks very different. ChatGPT Pro launched at $200 per month and Sam Altman admitted OpenAI was losing money on it. Anthropic restructured enterprise pricing to charge consumption fees on top of seat licenses. GitHub paused new sign-ups for the original $10 Copilot subscription, telling customers that "a handful of requests can incur costs that exceed the plan price." And Microsoft just announced the E7 Frontier Suite at $99 per user per month. So the question isn't whether Microsoft 365 Copilot is expensive. The question is whether it ever was, and what happens when the AI industry finishes correcting the pricing assumptions it set in 2023. Topics covered: The original GitHub Copilot $10/month launch and how it set the all-you-can-eat pattern Why Microsoft 365 Copilot at $30 felt expensive but was actually well-positioned The role of agents, tool use, and reasoning models in breaking flat-rate economics What the GitHub Copilot signup pause in April 2026 reveals about industry capacity How Anthropic's enterprise pricing shift signals where the industry is heading Why systemic AI lock-in may be structurally different from cloud and SaaS lock-in Three practical strategies for navigating the AI cost evolution ahead 🌐 Links: GitHub Copilot is generally available to all developers - https://github.blog/news-insights/pro... LLM Pricing Trends - https://benchlm.ai/llm-pricing-trends The LLM Cost Paradox: How Cheaper AI Models Are Breaking Budgets - https://www.ikangai.com/the-llm-cost-... Microsoft backtracks on Copilot Chat access in M365 apps - https://www.computerworld.com/article... Changes to GitHub Copilot Individual plans - https://github.blog/news-insights/com... Anthropic Removed Claude Code From The Pro Plan - https://www.wheresyoured.at/anthropic... SaaS Inflation Rate - https://www.vertice.one/insights/saas... OpenAI launches ChatGPT Plus, starting at $20 per month - https://techcrunch.com/2023/02/01/ope... Context windows - https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/b... 📖 Chapters: 0:01 Introduction 1:01 Part 1: The Pricing Anchor 3:07 Part 2: The Economics of AI 8:44 Part 3: Big Tech Under Pressure 10:04 Part 4: Systemic Lock-In 13:20 Part 5: A New Price Perspective 15:55 Part 6: Adoption Redesign #Microsoft365Copilot #AIpricing #M365Copilot #EnterpriseAI #CopilotPricing #AIstrategy #Microsoft365 #AIeconomics #GitHubCopilot #AIagents #AIcosts #Copilot #MicrosoftCopilot #AItrends2026 #AIbudget Apart from publicly accessible information, all user data or other related information shared in this video is created for demonstration purposes only. User accounts, passwords, or other data used as part of any demonstrations shown in this video have been created specifically for that purpose and are not any individual or company's private information or data. Bright Ideas Agency is an Ohio Limited Liability Company. The content of this video is for informational and entertainment purposes only. No guarantees are given in connection with the information shared and you should seek independent technical or business advice before implementing anything you see in this video. If you want to hire us for your project, visit https://www.brightideasagency.com and get in touch.