How can simply tracking growth be the full story behind OpenRouter's model explosion? That's like saying the odometer on my truck is what makes it go.
Tracking numbers just tells you a trend happened; it doesn't explain the underlying mechanics or the actual forces driving that change. The weakest link here is assuming observation is the cause of an event, which is a classic failure mode in analysis.
Did OpenRouter just decide to list more models, or did developers actually build more because there was a real market demand?
For instance, if I track the number of new houses being built, that data doesn't cause the construction; it's the permits, financing, and contractors that actually make it happen, not my notepad.