AI enables a fundamental shift in business models away from selling access (per seat) or usage (per token) towards selling results. For example, customer support AI will be priced per resolved ticket. This outcome-based model will become the standard as AI's capabilities for completing specific, measurable tasks improve.

The 2020 debate over Figma's per-seat pricing versus Slack's variable active-user model was a key step in SaaS evolution. It signaled the move toward aligning cost with value, a trend that has accelerated into today's token-based pricing for AI and the emerging concept of outcome-based pricing.

At scale, a one-size-fits-all pricing model fails. Salesforce CEO Mark Benioff explains that they must offer a mix of seat-based, all-you-can-eat enterprise agreements (ELAs), and consumption-based models. For nearly every significant customer, a custom pricing agreement is crafted to meet their specific needs and circumstances.

In categories like customer support, where AI can handle the vast majority of queries, charging per human agent ('per seat') no longer makes sense. The business model is shifting to be outcome-based, where customers pay for the value delivered, such as per ticket resolved or per successful interaction.

The dominant per-user-per-month SaaS business model is becoming obsolete for AI-native companies. The new standard is consumption or outcome-based pricing. Customers will pay for the specific task an AI completes or the value it generates, not for a seat license, fundamentally changing how software is sold.

The traditional per-seat SaaS model is losing relevance. As AI allows for the completion of discrete workflows, customers expect to pay for the outcome ('do this thing for me'), not for access. This per-task model is a significant competitive advantage against legacy players.

As AI agents become the primary "users" of sophisticated software, the traditional per-seat licensing model becomes obsolete. Pricing will inevitably shift to a value-based model, tied to outcomes the AI delivers—such as cycle reduction or performance gains—rather than human operators.

AI is moving beyond enhancing worker productivity to completing entire projects, like drug discovery or engineering designs. This shift means software will be priced like a services business, based on the value of the outcome delivered, not the number of users with access.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff is signaling a move beyond seat-based or usage-based pricing towards an outcome-based model. This would tie the software's cost directly to the value it creates, such as a percentage of revenue generated or costs saved by the customer, a model pioneered by companies like Palantir.