"Be brave enough to start over on pricing — accumulating models creates mess"
Evidence from the Archive
Intercom
Intercom accumulated 'too many pricing models' built on competitive mistakes before making the brave decision to...
Intercom accumulated 'too many pricing models' built on competitive mistakes before making the brave decision to start from scratch
As CPO of Intercom through both its pricing crisis and its AI transformation, Adams has lived through the consequences of accumulated pricing mistakes and the organizational courage required to start over — making him a rare voice who speaks from failure as well as recovery. Their core argument: Be brave enough to start over on pricing — accumulating models creates mess.
The evidence is specific: Intercom accumulated 'too many pricing models' built on competitive mistakes before making the brave decision to start from scratch. Furthermore, intercom hired experienced people from larger companies who brought inappropriate pricing cultures, leading to over-correction. Facebook's mobile transition as an analogy — they made the 'brave decision' to go all-in on mobile, and Zuck mandated all new designs be mobile-first.
In Paul Adams's own words: "We've ended up with too many pricing models. We've built on top of old competitive mistakes. And, it took a brave decision to say, 'We're going to start again.'" (On Intercom's pricing reset.)