Agents Will Drive Next Major Productivity Wave

Brett Taylor believes the entire AI market is moving toward autonomous agents that complete tasks independently rather than just assisting humans. This represents a fundamental shift in how software delivers value: "The whole market is gonna go towards agents. I think the whole market is going to go towards outcomes based pricing. It's just so obviously the correct way to build and sell software."

Taylor sees agents as the next major productivity breakthrough, comparable to the initial computerization wave of the 1990s. While AI tools today often require significant human oversight, truly autonomous agents will transform industries by completely handling tasks that previously required human labor. As he explains, "Software is going from helping an individual be slightly more productive to actually accomplishing a job autonomously."

Outcome-Based Pricing Will Become the Standard

Taylor advocates strongly for outcome-based pricing models rather than usage-based or subscription models. At Sierra, they charge customers based on successful customer service resolutions rather than tokens used or time spent. This approach:

Aligns vendor and customer incentives perfectly
Makes value measurable and attributable
Transforms vendors from suppliers into true partners
Creates natural accountability for results

"I think tokens are similar to lines of code - a terrible productivity metric," Taylor explains. "There's a huge difference between outcomes-based pricing and usage-based pricing because especially in AI they're not necessarily even correlated."

Building Successful AI Products Requires Systems Thinking

Taylor emphasizes that creating effective AI products isn't just about having access to powerful models - it's about designing complete systems that deliver reliable outcomes. This requires:

Understanding the entire workflow, not just the AI component
Building feedback loops to continuously improve performance
Implementing safeguards and verification steps
Focusing on the business outcome, not just technical performance

"If you want productivity gains now, you gotta put in the work," Taylor advises. "For customers using platforms like Sierra, AI agents aren't perfect, but we're creating a system that lets customers create a virtuous cycle of improvement."

Choose Your Go-to-Market Strategy Based on Buyer-User Dynamics

Taylor identifies three proven go-to-market models for AI products:

Developer-led: Works when selling platform products to engineering teams with autonomy
Product-led growth: Effective when the user and buyer are the same person
Direct sales: Essential when selling to enterprise buyers separate from end users

"Where I see entrepreneurs stumble is they'll choose a go-to-market motion without thinking through the process of purchasing the software," Taylor notes. He believes many AI startups should embrace direct sales despite its sometimes negative reputation: "I think a lot of companies should leverage direct sales more than they do."

Focus on Impact, Not Role Definition

Taylor credits Sheryl Sandberg for a pivotal insight that transformed his career: "What is the most impactful thing I can do today?" Rather than defining himself narrowly as an engineer or product person, he embraced whatever role would create the most value.

"I realized that the actual act of engineering or product design or all the things I thought I liked - what I really liked is impact," Taylor explains. This mindset allowed him to succeed across diverse roles from CTO to co-CEO by focusing on outcomes rather than job descriptions.

For leaders and ICs alike, this means regularly stepping back to assess where you can create the most value, even if it means working outside your comfort zone or traditional skill set. The satisfaction comes from seeing results, not from performing familiar tasks.