996 Workweeks, Exploding AI Bills & The SaaS Payback Problem

AI was supposed to make software cheaper and companies more efficient. Instead, costs are exploding, CFOs are getting squeezed, and founders are pushing their teams harder than ever. CJ and Kyle Poyar dig into the economics behind AI, usage-based pricing, and what all of this means for SaaS growth.Usage-Based Credits: Why they’re supposed to save SaaS margins but often trap customers in bad deals.996 Hustle Culture: The rise of 9 a.m.–9 p.m., 6-days-a-week work schedules — and why it’s both romanticized and unsustainable.SaaS Payback Periods: Public companies now take 3+ years to recoup CAC, with growth slowing and margins tightening.Go-to-Market Engineers: Hype vs. reality of the “unicorn hire” role meant to automate GTM motions.Consumer Businesses: Are we sleeping on DTC plays like Blue Apron and ButcherBox while chasing AI trends?The “Cracked Engineer” Archetype: Why the most impactful hires might be the failed founders who love solving cross-functional problems.Subscription Carwashes: What they teach us about predictable revenue and retention psychology.More RVs Than EVs: What this surprising stat says about adoption curves and how we misread “the future.”This Week’s Growth Experiments: The tools, tactics, interview questions, and hacks we tried — what worked, what didn’t, and why Kyle is disillusioned by some of them.