The Four Degrees of Leverage
Read it as a token cascade: Cache : Input : Output. The AA baseline sits at 3.5 : 1 : 0.50 — the modeled average AI user. The median operator on the all-time board sits at 20 : 1 : 0.10 — the typical operator, the 50th percentile of everyone measured. The median of the top 100 lands at 242 : 1 : 1.04, output traded for cache. The top operator on the live board is 553 : 1 : 1.70: every input returns multiple outputs on a deep cache. Four degrees of leverage, each a real skill, and the distance between them learnable. The last three columns are measured live from the all-time board.
Sources: the AA baseline is a static modeled reference (7:2:1 cache-read : cache-write : input ratio from Artificial Analysis pricing data). The other three columns are measured live from the all-time board (auto-pulled at render). Operator Center of Mass = median of the screened operator cohort; Power users = median of the top 100 by yield; Top Evals = the single leading operator. 130 outliers separated (see the field analysis). All derived from canonical four-pillar token telemetry. Token counts only. Read the full analysis.
FOUR DEGREES OF LEVERAGE
| Metric | AA baseline§ | Operator Center of Mass* | Power users† | Top Evals to date‡ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Υ Yield | 1.75 | 1.90 | 239.61 | 941.23 |
| SNR | 0.33 | 0.09 | 0.51 | 0.63 |
| Velocity (O/I) | 0.50 | 0.10 | 1.04 | 1.70 |
| Leverage (CR/I) | 3.5× | 20.3× | 241.6× | 553.2× |
| 10xDEV (log₁₀) | 0.54 | 1.31 | 2.38 | 2.74 |
| Efficiency (vs AA 4.0) | 1.00 | 5.25 | 62.83 | 141.90 |
| Operating Ratio (C:I:O) | 3.5 : 1 : 0.50 | 20 : 1 : 0.10 | 242 : 1 : 1.04 | 553 : 1 : 1.70 |
Υ Yield
- AA baseline§
- 1.75
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 1.90
- Power users†
- 239.61
- Top Evals to date‡
- 941.23
SNR
- AA baseline§
- 0.33
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 0.09
- Power users†
- 0.51
- Top Evals to date‡
- 0.63
Velocity (O/I)
- AA baseline§
- 0.50
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 0.10
- Power users†
- 1.04
- Top Evals to date‡
- 1.70
Leverage (CR/I)
- AA baseline§
- 3.5×
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 20.3×
- Power users†
- 241.6×
- Top Evals to date‡
- 553.2×
10xDEV (log₁₀)
- AA baseline§
- 0.54
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 1.31
- Power users†
- 2.38
- Top Evals to date‡
- 2.74
Efficiency (vs AA 4.0)
- AA baseline§
- 1.00
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 5.25
- Power users†
- 62.83
- Top Evals to date‡
- 141.90
Operating Ratio (C:I:O)
- AA baseline§
- 3.5 : 1 : 0.50
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 20 : 1 : 0.10
- Power users†
- 242 : 1 : 1.04
- Top Evals to date‡
- 553 : 1 : 1.70
AA: modeled baseline · Field & power users: medians · Top eval: one operator
signalaf.com/wiki/four-degrees
Four Degrees describes a broader screened all-time reference cohort. The Active Total board covers claimed operators and has its own field statistics.
| Pillar | AA baseline§Modeled | Operator Center of Mass*n = 1398 | Power users†n = 100 | Top Evals to date‡n = 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh input (I) | Modeled | 5,062,562,932 | 47,803,203 | 18,399,381 |
| Output (O) | Modeled | 1,955,678,728 | 42,137,846 | 31,303,143 |
| Cache creation (W) | Modeled | 566,585,060 | 372,530,478 | 232,964,829 |
| Cache read (R) | Modeled | 23,041,369,993 | 12,296,828,869 | 10,179,172,985 |
Average raw telemetry · tokens per included operator
Fresh input (I)
- AA baseline§
- Modeled
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 5,062,562,932
- Power users†
- 47,803,203
- Top Evals to date‡
- 18,399,381
Output (O)
- AA baseline§
- Modeled
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 1,955,678,728
- Power users†
- 42,137,846
- Top Evals to date‡
- 31,303,143
Cache creation (W)
- AA baseline§
- Modeled
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 566,585,060
- Power users†
- 372,530,478
- Top Evals to date‡
- 232,964,829
Cache read (R)
- AA baseline§
- Modeled
- Operator Center of Mass*
- 23,041,369,993
- Power users†
- 12,296,828,869
- Top Evals to date‡
- 10,179,172,985
Counts are arithmetic means, rounded to a token; the Top Evals column is one record. The metrics above are independently calculated medians, except the single top evaluation. Ratios of average counts need not equal median ratios or median Yield. The modeled baseline has no measured absolute token counts.
10xDEV read on the log anchor
10xDEV is an exponent, not a multiplier: each whole point is a 10× jump in real cascade amplification (linear = 10^10xDEV).
| Degree | 10xDEV | Linear amplification (10^x) |
|---|---|---|
| AA baseline (7:2:1 modeled reference) | 0.54 | 3.5× |
| Operator Center of Mass (median, all operators)* | 1.31 | 20.3× |
| Power-user median (top 100) | 2.38 | 241.6× |
| Top operator to date | 2.74 | 553.2× |
- Top operator vs AA baseline: +2.20 decades = ~158× more amplification
- Top operator vs median operator: +1.43 decades = ~27× more
- Top operator vs top-100 median: +0.36 decades = ~2× more
10xDEV is an anchor: the telescoping identity (10^10xDEV = cache_read/input) locks the exponent to leverage, so it can't be inflated independently; it has to be earned through the full cascade. Gaining two full points is ~2 orders of magnitude of real amplification, which is why it moves slowly and means a lot.
Sources & provenance
AA baseline (7:2:1 modeled reference) · static
The Artificial Analysis pricing baseline sets a 7:2:1 ratio for cache-read : cache-write : fresh input. This is a modeled reference point, not live data — it represents the “average AI user” operating ratio of 3.5:1:0.5 (cache-read : input : output). Efficiency is 1.00 by definition: all other operators are measured against this. Source: Artificial Analysis pricing data.
Top operator to date · measured live
The top real operator on the live SigRank all-time board (auto-pulled at render via the same operatorTotal path the board uses). Derived from canonical four-pillar token telemetry (input / output / cache_create / cache_read). Token counts only, no prompt content. Source: signalaf.com/board/all.
Power users (top 100 median) · measured live
The median of the top 100 real operators on the all-time board, ranked by Υ Yield. Median, not mean: the top 100 is right-skewed (the top 5 have yields 10-100× higher than the rest), so the median is the honest “typical elite performer” — the operator ranked ~50th out of the top 100. Source: signalaf.com/board/all.
Average users (all operators median) · measured live
The median of the screened all-time operator cohort, with the historical statistical outliers separated for this reference calculation. Median, not mean: the board is heavily right-skewed (a single IGNITER-class operator with 9 quadrillion input tokens pulls the mean yield to 427 vs the median of 2.5 — a 170× spread). The median is the exact 50th percentile, immune to any outlier no matter how extreme. The trimmed mean (drop 5% each end) still lands at 17.6 vs 2.5 — still pulled by the upper-middle. Median is the cleanest cut. The gap between this column and the AA baseline is the selection effect: real operators who install a token scanner are cache-heavy (leverage ~20× vs AA's 3.5×) but output-light (velocity ~0.09 vs AA's 0.50) — net yield is close to the modeled average, but the composition is very different. Source: signalaf.com/board/all.
Why median, not mean
Token-cascade metrics are not normally distributed. They follow a power law: a few operators compound signal at extreme rates while the long tail burns tokens. The mean is dragged toward the extremes; the median sits at the honest middle. For the “typical operator” column, the median answers “what does the operator at the 50th percentile look like?” — which is the question the chart asks. A mean would answer “what would you get if you pooled everyone's tokens and divided evenly?” — which is a different question, and not a useful one when the distribution is this skewed.
Metric definitions
SNR = O/(I+O) · Velocity = O/I · Leverage = cache_read/I · 10xDEV = log₁₀(transmission × commitment × reuse) · Efficiency = (cache+O)/I ÷ 4.0 (AA baseline 4.0 = (7+1)/2) · Υ = (cache_read × O) / I² · Operating Ratio = cache : input=1 : output. Telescoping identity: (O/I)(C_create/O)(C_read/C_create) = cache_read/input, so 10^10xDEV = Leverage.
§ AA baseline: the Artificial Analysis 7:2:1 modeled reference (3.5:1:0.5 operating ratio). Static — not live data. Efficiency = 1.00 by definition.
* Operator Center of Mass: median of all real operators on the all-time board, computed live at render. Excludes staged seeds, The Field, retired/anonymized rows, and the 130 outliers (113 extreme operators + 17 flagged operators) that would skew the median. See the field analysis for the full outlier separation methodology.
† Power users: median of the top 100 real operators by Υ Yield on the all-time board, computed live at render.
‡ Top Evals to date: the single top real operator on the all-time board, computed live at render.
All signal is monitored. All drift is noted. · SigRank · MO§ES™ · Ello Cello LLC · Token counts only, never prompt content.