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Ep 11: Notes on second acts, building Chargebee, figuring AI monetization, and more | Krish and Guy
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In this episode of Second Acts (a first for season two; welcome back!), the table turns as Krish is interviewed by Chargebee’s CMO, Guy Marion.
They talk about: Chargebee’s founding theses, strengths, and constraints, *the* characteristic patterns (not to be found in “innovation labs”) that propel second acts, how pricing of AI products must draw on familiar monetization principles yet demand a markedly different view of costs and value, the baffling absurdity of once-a-year pricing changes, Krish’s introspections on “inspired problems” and scaling himself, billing for time travellers, and much, much more!
Krish: “The good news is you have so much data [on pricing]. Which you can use to be more precise about it or understand it and then being able to make much better decisions where it’s no longer an art. It can be a science, provided you’re leaning into wanting it to be a science.”
Guy: “I think that's one of the differentiators of founder-led businesses still is that… beginner’s mindset where you're looking at every problem, looking at how to improve it in an honest and transparent way.”
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Chapters:
(03:43) How Krish described Chargebee’s mission five years ago (and where it’s headed now)
(05:54) On billing’s expansive, transformative role in an AI-driven world
(08:03) How AI is changing the value exchange question
(10:17) How a customer-first approach to growth shaped Chargebee’s early years
(13:34) How founding strengths continue to inform Chargebee’s approach to products
(16:00) Stacking S-curves (or defining second acts of scale)
(17:52) The defining characteristic of companies that get second acts right
(23:10) Krish reflects on the founder’s journey and scaling himself
(28:55) On founder mode and what the current, uncertain moment demands
(32:57) How each era of software has been driven by the core economics of delivery
(36:12) Why the urgency around AI innovation is fast shifting towards urgency around monetizing that innovation
(39:12) Why treating pricing as a science is central to enduring businesses
(41:53) Why the future of software monetization is hybrid (and still driven by a standard evolution of the value chain)
(45:19) Why AI monetization is still rooted in pricing fundamentals
(46:55) The table-stakes instrumentation that modern monetization demands
(49:01) Why monetization experiments can no longer be a once-a-year exercise
(52:31) How Zapier, Personio, and other Chargebee customers solve pricing with rapid iteration
(55:10) Why monetization has been an underutilized growth lever
(56:25) The “Partner > Build > Buy” M&A framework (and applying that to Chargebee’s own product bets)
(01:02:41) An API-first approach to everything; or why Chargebee built a time machine
(01:05:07) Creating an environment for scaling people’s contributions (also: their lessons, challenges, and happiness)
(01:10:17) Where “inspired problems” come from
(01:15:57) Krish’s move to Amsterdam and on the beautiful gains of operating in a globally distributed org
(01:19:47) The role of luck in the scaling journey
(01:22:51) Guy’s closing note
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Mentioned/Resources:
Second Acts; Episode 1: Nick Mehta, Gainsight
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Connect with Guy:
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Connect with Krish:
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About Chargebee:
Chargebee is a Revenue Growth Management platform that helps thousands of recurring revenue businesses unlock second acts of scale. Learn more.
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