// pricing

Source: Ars Technica

GitHub's shift from request-based to usage-based billing for Copilot exposes a core tension in AI monetization: the gap between what vendors must charge to cover LLM inference costs and what developers will pay for an assistant tool. Real user reactions to pricing changes signal whether AI features become table-stakes in developer tools or remain premium add-ons that users adopt selectively. That determines whether Copilot becomes a sustainable business or a feature that subsidizes other revenue streams.

Source: Hakan⚡The CS Café

The traditional QBR playbook—CSMs walking in with adoption metrics and per-seat justification—has become a liability as buyers increasingly reject linear pricing models and demand outcome-based or consumption-based alternatives. Vendors still anchored to "more users = more value" framing are losing negotiating power to competitors offering variable cost structures or usage-based pricing, particularly in cost-conscious buying cycles where CFOs control renewal decisions. Reps still defending seat-count models face a choice: capitulate on price or lose the deal.