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1021: We got addicted to an AI model we can't talk about
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Comparing Open Source and Proprietary Models
At 27:25 · chapter starts 26:23
After losing the unnamed preview model, the OpenCode team split — half went back to GPT-5.5, half migrated to GLM 5.2, an open-source model that Dax describes as very comparable in day-to-day use. Post-preview-model experience, the frontier models all feel 'roughly the same' anyway, so the choice is mostly pragmatic. The broader argument is that the gap between open-source and proprietary frontier models is closing — and that the economics differ dramatically. GLM 5.2 replacing GPT-5.5 is a meaningful data point. [1] — Dax Raad "GLM 5.2 comparable to GPT-5.5: Dax says open-source model GLM 5.2 is very comparable to OpenAI's GPT-5.5, with half the team switching to i…" 26:55 Meanwhile, OpenCode's cheap Go plan — designed for international developers who can't afford frontier model pricing — has the US as its single largest subscriber base. The $200/month frontier model plan is out of reach for more people, even domestically, than the tech community typically assumes.
Dax says open-source model GLM 5.2 is very comparable to OpenAI's GPT-5.5, with half the team switching to it after losing access to preview models.
Contrary to expectations, the US is the top subscriber country for OpenCode's cheap Go plan, designed for open-source models, showing price sensitivity even among US developers.
