This is all just running in circles. The models are not obviously better. The pricing fluctuates or offset by some other less-obvious metrics (availability/speed/tokens per task/dumbing down). Everyone reports different outcomes in their usage because it's all so context and user dependent. Sometimes models do some things better but become so annoying and obtuse in their other doings that it's just not worth it (like Opus with the insane code comments and Astra with its over-the-top, everything-is-a-sales-pitch style). It feels like the AI gods just turn the knobs on things like compute to get the results they want to align with the IPO to make headlines.