<p>In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Dan Miller, CFO at RightRev. They unpack why leasing is underused in software, how RevTech emerged, and why revenue recognition may be the next AI battleground. Dan also shares how he evaluates durable growth vs. hypergrowth.</p><p>—</p><p>SPONSORS:</p><p>Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you’re scaling on an ERP that wasn’t built in the 90s, book a demo at <a href="https://www.rillet.com/cj"><u>https://www.rillet.com/cj</u></a></p><p>Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at <a href="https://www.tabs.com/run"><u>https://www.tabs.com/run</u></a></p><p>Abacum is a modern FP&amp;A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at <a href="https://www.abacum.ai"><u>https://www.abacum.ai</u></a></p><p>Brex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at <a href="https://www.brex.com/metrics"><u>https://www.brex.com/metrics</u></a></p><p>Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at <a href="https://www.metronome.com"><u>https://www.metronome.com</u></a></p><p>RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit <a href="https://www.rightrev.com"><u>https://www.rightrev.com</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>LINKS: </p><p>Dan on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmillercpa/"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmillercpa/</u></a></p><p>RightRev: <a href="https://www.rightrev.com/"><u>https://www.rightrev.com/</u></a></p><p>CJ on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/</u></a></p><p>Mostly metrics: <a href="https://www.mostlymetrics.com"><u>https://www.mostlymetrics.com</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>TIMESTAMPS:</p><p>00:00:00 Preview and Intro</p><p>00:02:41 Why Operating Experience Matters for CFOs</p><p>00:04:08 Defining Durable Growth</p><p>00:06:06 Snowflake and Consumption Revenue Complexity</p><p>00:10:17 Forecasting in Consumption Models</p><p>00:11:29 AI’s Role in Revenue Forecasting</p><p>00:12:14 Sponsors — Rillet | Tabs | Abacus AI</p><p>00:15:39 Comping Sales in Usage-Based Models</p><p>00:18:15 Leasing as a Software Monetization Tool</p><p>00:20:47 The CFO’s Role in Sales and GTM</p><p>00:22:29 How CFOs Help Close Deals</p><p>00:24:14 Rev Tech vs RevOps</p><p>00:26:20 Sponsors — Brex | Metronome | RightRev</p><p>00:29:40 Where AI Actually Helps Rev Rec</p><p>00:31:55 Deterministic vs Probabilistic AI</p><p>00:33:05 Why Enterprises Hesitate on AI Agents</p><p>00:34:18 Startups vs Incumbents in the AI Race</p><p>00:35:13 FOMO, Overfunding, and Market Distortions</p><p>00:38:13 CFO Playbooks Without Hypergrowth</p><p>00:39:38 Finding PMF as a CFO</p><p>00:41:15 Career Advice: Growth vs Shiny Objects</p><p>00:42:00 Building the CEO–CFO Relationship</p><p>00:42:49 Learning Beyond the Back Office</p><p>00:43:22 Lightning Round</p><p>00:44:28 Advice to My Younger Self</p><p>00:45:09 Finance Tech Stack</p><p>00:46:36 Credits</p>

Run the Numbers

CJ Gustafson

Why Revenue Recognition Is the Next AI Battleground | Dan Miller of RightRev

FEB 9, 202647 MIN
Run the Numbers

Why Revenue Recognition Is the Next AI Battleground | Dan Miller of RightRev

FEB 9, 202647 MIN

Description

<p>In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Dan Miller, CFO at RightRev. They unpack why leasing is underused in software, how RevTech emerged, and why revenue recognition may be the next AI battleground. Dan also shares how he evaluates durable growth vs. hypergrowth.</p><p>—</p><p>SPONSORS:</p><p>Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to close faster without fighting legacy systems. Designed to support complex revenue recognition, multi-entity operations, and real-time reporting, Rillet helps teams achieve a true zero-day close—with some customers closing in hours, not days. If you’re scaling on an ERP that wasn’t built in the 90s, book a demo at <a href="https://www.rillet.com/cj"><u>https://www.rillet.com/cj</u></a></p><p>Tabs is an AI-native revenue platform that unifies billing, collections, and revenue recognition for companies running usage-based or complex contracts. By bringing together ERP, CRM, and real product usage data into a single system of record, Tabs eliminates manual reconciliations and speeds up close and cash collection. Companies like Cortex, Statsig, and Cursor trust Tabs to scale revenue efficiently. Learn more at <a href="https://www.tabs.com/run"><u>https://www.tabs.com/run</u></a></p><p>Abacum is a modern FP&amp;A platform built by former CFOs to replace slow, consultant-heavy planning tools. With self-service integrations and AI-powered workflows for forecasting, variance analysis, and scenario modeling, Abacum helps finance teams scale without becoming software admins. Trusted by teams at Strava, Replit, and JG Wentworth—learn more at <a href="https://www.abacum.ai"><u>https://www.abacum.ai</u></a></p><p>Brex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at <a href="https://www.brex.com/metrics"><u>https://www.brex.com/metrics</u></a></p><p>Metronome is real-time billing built for modern software companies. Metronome turns raw usage events into accurate invoices, gives customers bills they actually understand, and keeps finance, product, and engineering perfectly in sync. That’s why category-defining companies like OpenAI and Anthropic trust Metronome to power usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts at scale. Focus on your product — not your billing. Learn more and get started at <a href="https://www.metronome.com"><u>https://www.metronome.com</u></a></p><p>RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for modern pricing models like usage-based pricing, bundles, and mid-cycle upgrades. RightRev lets companies scale monetization without slowing down close or compliance. For RevRec that keeps growth moving, visit <a href="https://www.rightrev.com"><u>https://www.rightrev.com</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>LINKS: </p><p>Dan on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmillercpa/"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/danmillercpa/</u></a></p><p>RightRev: <a href="https://www.rightrev.com/"><u>https://www.rightrev.com/</u></a></p><p>CJ on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/"><u>https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/</u></a></p><p>Mostly metrics: <a href="https://www.mostlymetrics.com"><u>https://www.mostlymetrics.com</u></a></p><p>—</p><p>TIMESTAMPS:</p><p>00:00:00 Preview and Intro</p><p>00:02:41 Why Operating Experience Matters for CFOs</p><p>00:04:08 Defining Durable Growth</p><p>00:06:06 Snowflake and Consumption Revenue Complexity</p><p>00:10:17 Forecasting in Consumption Models</p><p>00:11:29 AI’s Role in Revenue Forecasting</p><p>00:12:14 Sponsors — Rillet | Tabs | Abacus AI</p><p>00:15:39 Comping Sales in Usage-Based Models</p><p>00:18:15 Leasing as a Software Monetization Tool</p><p>00:20:47 The CFO’s Role in Sales and GTM</p><p>00:22:29 How CFOs Help Close Deals</p><p>00:24:14 Rev Tech vs RevOps</p><p>00:26:20 Sponsors — Brex | Metronome | RightRev</p><p>00:29:40 Where AI Actually Helps Rev Rec</p><p>00:31:55 Deterministic vs Probabilistic AI</p><p>00:33:05 Why Enterprises Hesitate on AI Agents</p><p>00:34:18 Startups vs Incumbents in the AI Race</p><p>00:35:13 FOMO, Overfunding, and Market Distortions</p><p>00:38:13 CFO Playbooks Without Hypergrowth</p><p>00:39:38 Finding PMF as a CFO</p><p>00:41:15 Career Advice: Growth vs Shiny Objects</p><p>00:42:00 Building the CEO–CFO Relationship</p><p>00:42:49 Learning Beyond the Back Office</p><p>00:43:22 Lightning Round</p><p>00:44:28 Advice to My Younger Self</p><p>00:45:09 Finance Tech Stack</p><p>00:46:36 Credits</p>