Working Notes on Agent Systems/Brad Zhang

@teach_fireworks / X longform

Oh my god, what could be more exaggerated than this? How many tokens do you need to bur...

Oh my god, what could be more exaggerated than this? How many tokens do you need to burn every month?

January 16, 2026 · 1 min read

Oh my god, what could be more exaggerated than this?

How many tokens do you need to burn every month?

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FORMATTOPICCAPABILITYMARKETcoversFORMATshort signalTOPICagentic devtools
Mermaid outline
flowchart LR
  format-short_note["short signal"]
  topic-agentic-devtools["agentic devtools"]
  format-short_note -->|covers| topic-agentic-devtools

Visual structure

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Built from summary and key paragraph positions

Oh my god, what could be more exaggerated than this? How many tokens do you need to b...THESISOh my god, what couldbe more exaggeratedthan this? How manytokens do you need toSIGNALOh my god, what couldbe more exaggeratedthan this?OPERATORHow many tokens do youneed to burn everymonth?IMPLICATIONHow many tokens do youneed to burn everymonth?
Mermaid outline
flowchart LR
  thesis["Oh my god, what could be more exaggerated than this? How many tokens do you need to burn every month?"]
  signal["Oh my god, what could be more exaggerated than this?"]
  operator["How many tokens do you need to burn every month?"]
  implication["How many tokens do you need to burn every month?"]
  thesis -->|frames| signal
  signal -->|develops| operator
  operator -->|lands in| implication

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