AI Pricing Is Getting Weirder

About this episode

In this episode of Mostly Growth, the number one podcast in product monetization, Kyle and CJ break down why AI pricing is getting less settled, not more. They dig into pricing and packaging shifts from Microsoft, GitHub, ServiceNow, Salesforce, SAP, Adobe, Canva, Anthropic, and more — from usage credits and AI passes to headless products and agent pricing. Plus: why large software companies are now leading the AI monetization curve.

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SPONSORS:

Lightfield is an AI-first CRM built for modern sales teams that want to manage deals without manual data entry or dashboards. By joining sales calls, reading emails, and maintaining full account context, Lightfield helps teams prioritize deals, automate follow-ups, and stay prepared for every interaction. It’s like having a sales coach, RevOps analyst, and EA in one. Start a 14-day free trial at https://www.lightfield.app and use code MOSTLYGROWTH to get 3 months free.

beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow, monetize, and own their audience without piecing together a stack. Its all-in-one platform brings together newsletters, websites, analytics, automations, and monetization tools, and now supports podcasts, webinars, and MCP workflows. Kyle even used beehiiv’s MCP in Claude to audit his site, prioritize SEO fixes, and analyze subscriber trends. Try it free at https://www.beehiiv.com/kyle and use code KYLE30 for 30% off your first three months.

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/run

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LINKS: 

Mostly Metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com

CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/

Growth Unhinged: https://www.growthunhinged.com/

Kyle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-poyar/

Slacker Stuff: https://www.slackerstuff.com/

Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/slackerstuff/

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RELATED EPISODES:

Unpacking Spirit Airlines Complex Financial Model with CFO Scott Haralson

https://youtu.be/9GQNhV7F3rU

SaaS Has a Branding Problem

https://youtu.be/qWyjFTqnfhg

HubSpot, Intercom, and the New SaaS Pricing Battle

https://youtu.be/ajnwAw2RMMI

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Spirit Airlines shutdown

3:16 AI pricing is still changing fast

4:47 Salesforce goes headless: killing the seat?

10:11 Sponsors — Lightfield | beehiiv | Tabs

13:12 Microsoft: every seat becomes a seat + usage hybrid

15:04 GitHub Copilot moves to usage based

16:31 29% of companies now have AI credits

17:17 WTF is a credit?

20:13 Credits are vendor-friendly, not customer-friendly

22:48 ServiceNow: 50% of new revenue is non-seat

24:20 SAP shifts to AI consumption pricing

25:40 Adobe: outcome based pricing for CX

29:06 Canva AI pass: subscription add-on model

31:35 Anthropic lowers seat price, shifts to usage

34:22 What this means for investors

34:53 Survey: what pricing models investors actually want

37:04 Business blunders

37:08 Daycare silent auction dress code blunder

39:40 Credits

#MostlyGrowthPodcast #SaaS #Pricing #AIStrategy #ProductMonetization