Pricing in the Agent Economy: The Future Beyond Subscriptions with Steven Forth
Release Date: 05/19/2025
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info_outlineSteven Forth is the Co-founder & CEO of Ibbaka and a recognized expert in generative AI in pricing. With extensive experience in the intersection of artificial intelligence and pricing strategies, provides valuable insights into how agents are transforming the pricing landscape.
In this episode, Steven discusses the concept of AI agents, their role in pricing, and how they can deliver value in various contexts. Together, they explore the implications of AI-driven agents on user interfaces, pricing strategies, and the future of business interactions.
Why you have to check out today’s podcast:
- Understand what agents are and how they differ from general-purpose AI.
- Discover how pricing strategies for agents can be structured around value delivery.
- Learn about the future of agent-to-agent interactions and their impact on pricing.
“Understanding what job your agent is going to do is critical for pricing.”
– Steven Forth
Topics Covered:
02:07 – Definition of agents and their functionality.
03:17 – Differences between agents and general-purpose AI like ChatGPT.
05:11 – User interface simplicity and complexity in agent design.
08:16 – The AI agent layer cake and its implications for pricing.
11:12 – Access and usage-based pricing for agents.
14:03 – Outcomes-based pricing and its challenges.
16:16 – Tokenization.
20:27 – The importance of understanding the job an agent performs for pricing.
24:31 – Steven’s insights on the evolving landscape of pricing strategies.
31:28 – Steven’s pricing advice around agents.
31:53 – How to connect with Steven.
Key Takeaways:
“Agents make it easier to do things, and if those things are valuable, we’re going to do them a lot more.” – Steven Forth
“Pricing agents will require a shift in how we think about value delivery.” – Steven Forth
Resources and People Mentioned:
- Jakob Nielsen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Nielsen_(usability_consultant)
- OpenAI: https://openai.com/
- Zilliant: https://zilliant.com/
- Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/
- Salesforce's Agent Force: https://www.salesforce.com/ap/agentforce/
- Marc Benioff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Benioff
- AI Agent Layer Cake: https://www.ibbaka.com/ibbaka-market-blog/how-to-price-ai-agents
Connect with Steven Forth:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/
- Email: [email protected]
Connect with Mark Stiving:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
- Email: [email protected]