[THENEWSTACK]score: 0.18
The Disappearing AI Middle Class in LLM Pricing
May 12, 2026
A pricing bifurcation is emerging across the LLM market as GPT-5.5, Claude Opus 4.7, and DeepSeek V4 eliminate mid-tier options, leaving only premium and budget tiers. OpenAI frames full-stack ecosystem lock-in as the differentiator for premium pricing against commoditizing single-model competitors.