When AI Writes the Code, What Are You Selling? with Konstantin Tsubulko

"Your clients are paying for each and every inefficiency that you created."

AI is making software faster and cheaper to build. But if your business depends on selling development hours, where does that leave you?

In this episode of Built to Finish, Steven Pivnik sits down with Konstantin Tsubulko, co-founder and CEO of Day Ten, to explore what it takes to build a company for the AI era.

After helping scale a previous firm from $35 million to $200 million in revenue, Konstantine saw a growing conflict between AI's promise of efficiency and the traditional development model built around large teams and extended timelines. That realization helped push him to launch an AI transformation company focused on AI-first products and highly regulated, data-intensive industries.

They discuss outcome-based pricing, leaner engineering and marketing teams, the opportunities for junior developers, and why curiosity and founder experience matter when hiring. Constantine also explains why authentic conversations and in-person relationships are becoming more valuable as AI-generated outreach becomes commonplace.

Plus, hear the story behind Day Ten's name: an old industry joke about clients demanding tangible progress within ten days and why that expectation now looks very different.

Key Takeaways:

• Why AI challenges the economics of traditional software development.

• Why easier code creation raises the bar for building great products.

• How to choose an AI initiative that is manageable, meaningful, and measurable.

• Why Konstantin favors versatile teams with engineering and product expertise.

• The challenge of aligning employee incentives with client outcomes.