AI-native companies are reshaping pricing, distribution and unit economics. This long-form study maps the business models taking shape behind the next generation of AI products.
Why pricing is being rewritten
The marginal cost of software is no longer zero the way we assumed. Usage-based pricing, outcome-based pricing and per-seat models all attempt to answer the same question: what is the value created, and how do we capture a fair share of it?
Distribution has changed shape
The most interesting AI companies are not winning on search or paid acquisition. They are winning inside workflows — embedded where the work actually happens.
The business model is a hypothesis about value. Distribution is the experiment that tests it.