In Part 3 of our Token Series with Tabs, CJ and Ali Hussain ask who’s actually paying for AI. They cover the venture-funded subsidy behind today’s AI prices, why more companies are passing token costs on to customers, and how pricing is shifting toward hybrid commits, tiers, and credits. They also dig into overages, revenue leakage, and agentic commerce.
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SPONSORS:
Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at https://www.tabs.com
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LINKS:
Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsN
Guest: linkedin.com/in/ali-hussain786
Company: www.tabs.com
CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/
Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com
0:00 Cold Open
1:16 Who Foots the Bill for AI?
1:25 The Venture Subsidy
1:54 Sizing AI Spend
2:50 The Uber Analogy
4:50 Passing AI Costs Through
5:43 Will Buyers Go Cheaper?
7:17 Pricing and Packaging
8:18 Hybrid Commits
9:31 Where Tiers Fit
10:34 What Is a Credit?
12:42 The Overage Problem
14:51 Agentic Commerce
17:30 Next Up: Tokens as Currency
#RunTheNumbersPodcast #AIPricing #UsageBasedPricing #CFO #AI