# LLM Monetization

The End of the AI Free Lunch: ByteDance’s Doubao Signals a Strategic Pivot to Profitability

ByteDance’s AI app Doubao has introduced tiered subscription fees, marking a transition for Chinese AI from aggressive user acquisition to a revenue-focused 'value verification' stage. This shift is driven by the necessity to offset high compute costs and prove the tangible productivity value of domestic large language models.