Zuora’s COFO On Going Private and Pricing AI | Todd McElhatton

<p>In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Todd McElhatton, CFO of Zuora, for a deep cut on pricing, packaging, and value in the age of AI. They dig into how companies are figuring out whether to charge for AI at all, why token-based budgets are starting to sit alongside headcount budgets, and why AI may be increasing — not decreasing — the value of deep expertise.</p><p>—</p><p>SPONSORS:</p><p>Brex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at <a href="https://www.brex.com/metrics" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.brex.com/metrics</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Abacum puts your actuals, forecasts, models, and business context in one place, so you can update the plan, run scenarios, and answer "why did this change?" without rebuilding the story from six spreadsheets and a Slack thread. Connect your source systems, keep models and assumptions aligned, and give leaders trusted answers while decisions are still being made. Go to <a href="http://abacum.ai/mostly-metrics" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">abacum.ai/mostly-metrics.</a></p><p><br /></p><p>RightRev is a revenue recognition platform built for the AI economy, helping finance support usage-based pricing, credits, hybrid contracts, seats plus consumption, and whatever commercial model comes next. It gives product teams the freedom to keep innovating without outdated revenue systems slowing them down. Learn how RightRev can help at <a href="https://rightrev.com/cj" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://rightrev.com/cj</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Fidelity Private Shares gives founders the structure and simplicity to focus on what actually matters - building your company. If your startup needs a little extra support (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t need a little help now and then), then you’re in for a pleasant surprise with Fidelity. If you stay investor ready, you don’t have to get investor ready. Check out <a href="http://www.fidelityprivateshares.com" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.fidelityprivateshares.com</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue re