Benjamin van der Maas: Using AI to Scale FinOps

Episode 50 CapEx: AI FinOpsPod returns with episode 2 in the accounting series to explain that AI spend can be capitalized using the same accounting standards as cloud costs, featuring insights from FinOps Ambassador Becky Canterbury and finance partner Shane Saltzman. They describe how their existing capitalization process uses Jira tickets to determine the percentage of capitalizable work and applies that percentage to total costs, now including AI tool costs as an added input without changing the underlying method. The episode covers how they gained audit alignment by referencing industry papers, the importance of transparency and consolidated visibility into AI usage data, and coordination with AI governance. Becky and Shane advise starting conversations with finance, building an audit trail, and being patient with approvals. They also explain capitalization’s benefit in matching expenses with revenue over an asset’s useful life for clearer product profitability.00:00 Welcome Back FinOps Pod00:46 Can You Capitalize AI01:05 Real World AI CapEx01:53 How The Jira Model Works03:53 Getting Audit Approval04:50 Governance And Visibility05:42 Advice To Get Started07:44 Why Capitalize AI Spend09:18 Wrap UpBecky Canterbury | LinkedInShane Saltzman | LinkedInJoin the Tech Value Community

Episode 49 CapEx: Cloud Part 1 of a two episode series on Capital Expenses. This episode focuses on the basics of CapEx and capitalizing cloud expense. It the most excitement you will ever feel while recapping accounting standards. Ends with a review of a real-life practitioner use case on capitalizing cloud expense.00:00 Welcome And Setup01:03 Accounting Disclaimer01:56 Cloud And AI CapEx Debate02:53 CapEx Basics Explained05:09 Rules For Cloud Capitalization07:06 Real World Case Recap08:25 Three Step CapEx Process09:59 Wrap Up And Next EpisodeJoin the Tech Value Community

Episode 48 Advocating for Billing FeaturesConnecting two FinOps community call threads on getting SaaS vendors to improve billing data, featuring Mike Rosenberg of Nubank’s two-year push that led a major vendor to ship a requested billing capability in private preview. Helped by persistent, fact-based advocacy, networking with engineers, and renewal leverage. The episode also highlights a FinOpsX 2025 talk by Laurent Kiss and Priyanka Pandey (Delivery Hero) outlining four moves to drive vendor adoption of FOCUS format.00:00 Welcome Back FinOps Pod00:27 Mike’s Vendor Win Story01:47 How He Worked the Process03:11 Leverage and Business Case05:04 Two Community Calls Connect06:12 Delivery Hero Four Moves07:31 Ask Precisely Not Just Small08:21 Focus Versions Reality Check09:29 Scale the Ask as Community10:32 Before You Ask Check Support10:51 Wrap Up and Call to ActionJoin the Tech Value CommunityGet Started with FOCUS Data SetsHow to Work with Your SaaS Providers and Internal Stakeholders for Broad FOCUS™ AdoptionMike Rosenberg

Episode 47 Benjamin van der Maas: Using AI to Scale FinOps Benjamin van der Maas discusses how his team is using AI to scale their FinOps efforts. Topics covered include the necessary groundwork for effective AI implementation, the importance of domain expertise, and how AI can streamline reporting and analysis. The conversation also touches on AI's role in sustainability and the potential challenges of relying on large language models (LLMs). Automating Anomaly Investigation with AI - YouTubeFinOps Certified: FinOps for AIBenjamin van der Maas | LinkedIn

Episode 46 Brad Payne: Integrating FinOps and Business Strategy Brad Payne, who leads the FinOps team at PointClickCare, shares how his team tackled cloud cost challenges not by jumping straight into optimization — but by focusing first on allocation and unit economics. That shift helped them uncover how cloud costs connected to specific products, customers, and revenue — sparking deeper collaboration with finance, pricing and packaging, and product teams. This resulted in FinOps moving beyond infrastructure to influence real business decisions.FinOps Certified: FinOps for AIBrad Payne | LinkedIn

Episode 45 Kim Wier & Ron Tatro - Revisiting FinOps as Product, 3 Years Later Kim Wier & Ron Tatro return to share how their FinOps products have evolved over the last 3 years at Target. They share success and challenges they have had with forecasting both public and private clouds, the impact the introduction of AI has had, and how they provide cost, stability and tech debt information to over 5,000 developers. And they make it all sound approachable!FinOps as a Product - Kim Wier & Ron Tatro - YouTubeRon Tatro | LinkedInKim Wier | LinkedIn

Episode 44 Larry Advey - Leveraging FOCUS for Stakeholder Management Larry Advey discusses the significance of standardizing FinOps nomenclature through the FOCUS (FinOps Cost and Usage Specification) project to streamline communication across multi-provider environments. Larry shares his insights on the impact of FOCUS in reducing confusion among stakeholders by creating a unified language for billing data. The episode also highlights Larry’s experiences from recent FinOps events, upcoming plans for FinOpsX, and the importance of engaging with the community for continuous improvement.00:00 Welcome to FinOpsPod01:25 January Recap and FinOpsX Planning06:28 Focus Project and Stakeholder Management09:36 The Role of a Focus Maintainer16:23 The Vision for Focus20:11 Exploring FOCUS Nomenclature21:09 Utilizing the FOCUS Sandbox21:32 Diving into Use Cases22:49 Navigating the Focus Website29:12 Engaging with the FinOps Community34:24 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsFinOps X 2025 - The Home of FinOpsFOCUS SandboxFOCUS™ - FinOps Open Cost & Usage SpecificationLarry Advey | LinkedIn

Episode 43 FinOpsPod Year End 2024 In this episode, hosts, Joe & Stacy, with special guest Sam Benson, highlight significant events like the successful FinOps X and FinOps X Europe conferences, community growth, and the evolution of FinOps practices. The episode wraps up with reflections on the past year's achievements and aspirations for 2025, encouraging practitioners to stay engaged and keep learning.00:00 Welcome to FinOpsPod!00:28 Meet the Hosts and Special Guest01:11 Year-End Reflections02:45 Sam's Role and Contributions05:49 Community Events and Highlights08:44 FinOps X and Memorable Moments10:18 The 'No Runners' Theme11:56 Adapting and Evolving in FinOps14:08 Is Rob a Master Gardener?15:58 Highlights from FinOpsX Europe18:05 FinOps Scopes and Expanding Roles20:05 Focus and Community Engagement22:47 Emerging Topics and AI25:38 Looking Forward to 202530:49 Closing Remarks and Holiday WishesFinOps X 2025 - The Home of FinOpsThe Scope of FinOps Extends Beyond Public Cloud

Episode 42 James Barney - The AI Episode James Barney discusses the complexities and nuances of applying FinOps principles to AI usage in the cloud, explores various models of AI consumption, such as SaaS and self-hosted solutions, and delves into the challenges of accurately tracking and managing AI costs. Insights are shared from James Barney's recently contributed paper on AI cost management, emphasizing the importance of understanding AI's impact on cloud expenditures and business value. The conversation also touches on the necessity of open dialogue within organizations and the potential for AI to enhance non-customer-facing processes. Practical advice is given on how to approach AI cost management conversations and the value of learning by doing.Note - views expressed by James are his alone and not those of his employer.03:59 Understanding AI Cost Structures05:38 FinOps Strategies for AI Workloads12:10 Balancing Innovation and Cost Control18:08 Tracking and Reporting AI Costs19:34 Understanding AI Workloads21:39 Guardrails for AI Usage22:45 The Role of Context in AI25:16 Politeness in AI Interactions28:03 Exploring AI Tokens31:35 Challenges in AI Cost Management35:41 Community Involvement in AIJames Barney | LinkedInCost Estimation of AI WorkloadsHow to Forecast AI Services Costs in CloudHow to Build a Generative AI Cost and Usage Tracker

Episode 41 Anderson Oliveira - Facing Career Challenges Anderson Oliveira shares his experience of losing his job as a FinOps Manager, how he stayed positive, and took his time to find his next opportunity. Lessons in this episode on community engagement and keeping the FinOps Principles in the forefront.FinOps Jobs - All the cloud financial management jobs in one placeAnderson Oliveira | LinkedInFinOps X Europe - Barcelona, Nov 11-14