Google’s Veo 2, the AI video generator unveiled in December, has a price tag that’s turning heads: 50 cents per second. That’s $30 a minute, $1,800 an hour. It sounds steep—until you stack it up against the cost of actual video production. Google DeepMind’s Jon Barron nailed it with his Avengers: Endgame comparison: that Marvel blockbuster ran $356 million, or roughly $32,000 per second. Veo 2 isn’t cranking out three-hour superhero sagas, but if the output suits your communicative goals, it’s a bargain. Barron’s right: this is priced to disrupt, not to gouge.
I think this pricing model is temporary. The AI video space is heating up fast—new tools from rival model builders are lurking around the corner, promising more options and downward pressure on prices. Google’s betting on Veo 2’s quality and precision to justify the per-second model. At the moment, they’re right. Veo 2 makes every other text-to-video engine seem like you’re using Stone Age tools to make cave paintings.
We’re heading toward a world where creative speed and cost redefine what’s possible. I unpacked this shift in my Sunday essay, “If You Tell the Difference, There Is No Difference”—it’s worth a read if you’re curious how AI’s quietly rewriting the creative rulebook.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it. This work was created with the assistance of various generative AI models.