Atlassian's CEO argues against the death of per-seat pricing. He states that customers dislike the unpredictability of consumption models, and value-based models are too hard to measure accurately. This practical friction ensures simpler, predictable pricing will persist.

Usage-based pricing for AI faces strong customer resistance. Unlike cloud storage where usage is directly controlled, AI credit consumption can be driven by new vendor-pushed features. This lack of control and predictability leads to bill shock, making customers prefer the stability of per-seat models.

At AWS, where revenue is tied to usage, the ideal salesperson wasn't a traditional deal-closer. They needed a consultative mindset, focusing on the customer's mission to drive adoption and delight, as their compensation depended directly on successful implementation.

In a consumption model, some growth is organic. Instead of paying reps for this predictable growth, Google used analytical models to forecast a customer's spend trajectory. Account managers were then compensated heavily for exceeding this baseline, rewarding them only for the growth they directly influenced.

The sheer number of variables in a consumption model—individual customer seasonality, new bookings, timing, and rep forecasts—creates a level of complexity that is nearly impossible for humans to manage effectively. AI is becoming essential to aggregate and analyze this data to produce a reliable forecast.

An overlooked benefit of per-seat pricing (e.g., Workday) is predictability for the vendor's sales team. Sales leaders can accurately forecast deal sizes based on a prospect's public employee count, making it far easier to scale a sales organization efficiently compared to unpredictable consumption models.

In Snowflake's consumption model, a salesperson's job isn't done at signing. They have separate quotas for bookings (the commitment) and consumption (actual usage). This structure forces them to act as a long-term business partner, ensuring the customer successfully adopts and uses the platform.

A business can have volatile month-to-month revenue without being inherently risky. If the fluctuations are predictable, like seasonal demand, they can be planned for. True risk stems from unpredictability, not from patterned highs and lows. This allows for strategic planning around known cycles.

Unlike perpetual or even subscription models, consumption-based compensation holds sales reps directly responsible for the customer's ongoing product usage. Reps are on the hook to ensure credits are "burned down," effectively merging the roles of sales and customer success and forcing a continuous selling motion.