Insights & Strategy

Navigating the economics of AI. Real-world insights on cost optimization, unit economics, and building sustainable AI products.

AI CostsVisibilitySaaS EconomicsBusiness Strategy6 min read

Running What You Can't Fully Control: The AI Cost Visibility Problem

You built something people want. Users are signing up. Revenue is growing. Then your OpenAI invoice arrives, and suddenly that $50/month customer cost you $90 to serve.

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tknOps

AI OperationsObservabilityAI CostsAlert Fatigue

Seeing Without Understanding: The Hidden Crisis in AI Operations

Your dashboards are full of data. Your alerts are firing constantly. Yet somehow, when the AI bill arrives, nobody can explain why it tripled.

January 30, 2026

AI TrackingROIBusiness StrategyAI Costs

Why We Will Regret Not Tracking AI From Day One in 2026

The numbers don't lie. According to the 2025 State of AI Cost Governance Report, 84% of companies report AI costs cutting into their gross margins by more than 6%. Meanwhile, MIT research reveals that 95% of the $35-40 billion invested in AI initiatives showed zero measurable return.

January 28, 2026

AI MetricsROIBusiness Strategy

Why Financial Data Is More Reliable Than Model Metrics

When evaluating AI performance, most companies default to model benchmarks. But here's the uncomfortable truth—these metrics often tell you very little about your business reality.

January 26, 2026

AI StrategyEconomicsInfrastructure

Stability vs Growth in Intelligence Systems: The Hidden Trade-off Every AI Startup Must Navigate

The tension between stability and growth isn't just theoretical—it directly impacts your margins, your infrastructure decisions, and ultimately, your survival.

January 26, 2026

AI CostsStrategySaaS Economics

When Nothing Is Broken but Everything Is Expensive

Your AI features work flawlessly. Users love them. So why is your CFO losing sleep? Welcome to the new reality of AI economics.

January 25, 2026

AI CostsEngineeringStrategy

Engineering Decisions That Quietly Destroy Margins

Your SaaS hit 85% gross margins for years. Then you shipped AI features. Six months later, you're staring at 55% and wondering what happened.

January 25, 2026

StrategyCultureAI Costs

How to Build Cost Awareness Into Your Product Culture

When your CFO asks why the AI bill spiked 40% while usage grew 15%, that's not an accounting question—it's a product question. Here's how to build cost awareness into your team's DNA.

January 24, 2026

AI CostsForecastingStrategy

How to Forecast AI Spend Before It Blows Your Budget

85% of organizations misestimate AI costs by more than 10%. Learn the five-pillar framework for accurate AI cost forecasting before your margins disappear.

January 24, 2026

AI CostsScaleAttribution

You Can't Scale What You Can't Attribute

Why AI cost visibility is the hidden prerequisite for sustainable growth. Without granular attribution, growth simply multiplies hidden inefficiencies.

January 23, 2026

AI CostsProductionOptimization

The Most Common AI Cost Mistakes in Production

Your AI feature works brilliantly in development. Then the invoice arrives. Here are the most common (and preventable) AI cost mistakes teams make once they hit production.

January 22, 2026

StrategyAI CostsEconomics

Your AI Product Is Probably Losing Money (You Just Don't See It Yet)

You launched an AI-powered product. Customers are signing up. Revenue is growing. But here's what your dashboard isn't showing you: some of your best customers are actually costing you more to serve than they're paying you.

January 22, 2026

StrategyAI CostsProduct

The Second-Order Effects of Adding AI to Every Feature

Why the race to AI-enable everything is creating hidden costs, complexity, and strategic risks that most companies aren't prepared for.

January 22, 2026

StrategyAI CostsOptimization

Cheaper Models, Different Outputs: The Hidden Trade-offs in AI Cost Optimization

That 10x price difference looks great on paper. Here's how to actually evaluate whether switching saves you money—or costs you more.

January 21, 2026

StrategyPricingAI Costs

AI Usage-Based Pricing: Pros, Cons, and Pitfalls

Why the pricing model transforming SaaS could make—or break—your AI product's margins.

January 21, 2026

StrategyAI CostsUnit Economics

When Your Best Customers Are Also Your Most Expensive Ones

In traditional SaaS, power users were your best customers. With AI, they might be the ones destroying your margins.

January 20, 2026

StrategyAI CostsEconomics

AI Is Not Free Marginal Cost Software Anymore

For two decades, software economics followed a beautiful formula: build once, serve infinitely. AI just broke that formula.

January 20, 2026

StrategyAI CostsFinOps

Why Token Counts Alone Don't Tell You the Full Cost Story

You're tracking tokens. You're watching your dashboard. Your AI costs are still a mystery. Here's what's really happening.

January 20, 2026

AIOpsStrategyFinOpsAgentOps

What "AI Ops" Really Means in 2026

The term has evolved dramatically. Here's what it actually means for your business—and your margins.

January 19, 2026

StrategyAI CostsInfrastructure

The Line Item You're Not Watching: When AI Costs Quietly Overtake Your Infrastructure Bill

There's a number on your P&L that's growing faster than your revenue. It's not your AWS bill. It's not headcount. It's the API calls powering your product.

January 19, 2026

StrategyAI Costs

$20 Customer Costing You $40: Why AI Startups Are Flying Blind on Costs

If you're building an AI product in 2025, you're likely dealing with a new kind of financial anxiety: the AI bill that makes no sense.

January 16, 2026