CxC Ep29: The Dilemma of AI Pricing - with Maciej Kraus (Movens Capital)
April 30, 2026 · 1 hr 3 min
Why listen
AI is cheap to build but expensive to run, and the current pricing models are not built to survive that.
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In this episode
- Why the SaaS pricing playbook breaks down for AI products
- How token-based consumption models create a ceiling on growth
- The difference between output-based and outcome-based pricing
- Which hybrid pricing structures are most likely to hold up long term
About this episode
This week on Code x Connor, we’re joined by Maciej Kraus, partner at Movens Capital and Stanford guest lecturer, to discuss current AI pricing models, their limitations, and what comes next.
Maciej is a PhD, VC partner, and pricing expert with 20+ years in strategy, sales, and monetization. He advises founders on value capture, guest lectures at Stanford Graduate School of Business, and co-authored Pricing Decoded. He blends data, psychology, and practical frameworks to turn pricing into a growth engine for tech and SaaS.
In this episode, we discuss:
→ Why AI challenges the traditional SaaS model (cheap to build, expensive to run)→ The “Token AI” consumption model and its limitations
→ The potential threat of economic collapse→ Business models that will actually work in the future→ How subsidies and capital burn are distorting the market→ Output vs. outcome-based pricing
→ Hybrid pricing models and the future of AI pricing
Be sure to follow us to get the latest information, and schedule a meeting with us through www.codestrap.com!
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Movens Capital
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Codestrap
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Codestrap (X): https://x.com/Codestrap_ai
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Codestrap (LI): https://www.linkedin.com/company/codestrap
About Code and Connor
Code & Connor is where Connor Deeks and Dorian Smiley ask the questions most AI podcasts won't. Two founders — one strategist, one engineer — in honest conversations with executives, builders, and practitioners about what's actually happening at the intersection of AI and the enterprise.
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