When the field is filtered by total tokens, the experience span ranges from 0 to 84 billion · 1,626 operators · 24 equal-population stages · Generated 2026-08-10
| Stage | Tier | Floor | Ceiling | Operators | % of field |
|---|
Method: equal_population_24_stages — Option C calibration
Classification: Each operator is assigned to one of 24 experience stages based on their total tokens (input + output + cacheCreate + cacheRead). The ladder tracks how much real work an operator has done — not how efficient that work is.
Tier structure: 8 base tiers, each split into 3 sub-stages (I/II/III):
ARCH+ (K.01) — deepest field experience · volume that became architecture
ARCH (K.02) — system builders · sustained volume, coherent output
POWER (K.03) — above the center · volume compounding
BASE (K.04) — the center of the field · the average operator's experience
SEEKER (K.05) — approaching the center · experience accumulating
REFINER (K.06) — practicing with purpose · early sustained volume
BEARER (K.07) — quiet accumulation · the first real volume
IGNITER (K.08) — dormant potential · the still soul, waiting
TRANSMITTER is not on the ladder. It is a temporary peak badge (RS.08) that any tier can earn during a high-frequency, high-resonance window. It lapses when frequency or resonance drops.
Source: public/data/class-distribution-reference.json from public/data/field-analysis.json (1,626 operators, HCM cut)
Calibration: Canonical classifier — fixed total-token thresholds from experience_ladder.json applied to the observed field. Stage populations reflect the real distribution, not equal bins.
Replaces: Previous yield-based 4-tier system (IGNITER/SEEKER/BUILDER/TRANSMITTER by yield range)