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hard★ EssentialAnthropicDatabricksMicrosoft

A customer wants to self-host open-weights models instead of paying API fees. Model the real costs and make a recommendation.

The CFO sees API invoices; nobody sees the cost of the inference team they're about to hire. The strong answer models utilization, the variable that decides this question, and names the break-even honestly enough to be trusted.

Updated Aug 2026 · Grounded in real Forward Deployed Engineer interview loops and written to a senior-engineer editorial bar.

The CFO sees API invoices; nobody sees the cost of the inference team they're about to hire. The strong answer models utilization, the variable that decides this question, and names the break-even honestly enough to be trusted.

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