Free vs Paid Strategy and Pricing Experiments

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson sits down with Vanna Krantz, former CFO of Disney+ and Grindr, to explore what it takes to lead finance through massive inflection points. Vanna reflects on building Disney+’s subscription model from scratch under Bob Iger’s leadership and the pressure of launching a global product with no precedent. She discusses forecasting as both science and art, and the importance of appreciating high-stakes moments amid chaos. Shifting to Grindr, Vanna breaks down how the company went public with remarkable efficiency—boasting 40% EBITDA margins and under 200 employees—and how she modeled for a user base that consistently churns and returns. She also opens up about career longevity, work-life balance, and helping women find sustainability and acceleration in leadership.

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LINKS:

Vanna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vannakrantz/

CJ on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/

Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com

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“Let’s Just See What Breaks” — Intuit’s CFO on Being a Disruptor When You’re Already the Incumbent

https://youtu.be/Le1D9HXHvGI

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TIMESTAMPS:

00:00:00 Preview and Intro

00:03:02 Sponsors – Aleph, Fidelity Private Shares, and Metronome

00:06:09 Meeting at A16z and Disney Plus Discussion

00:07:13 Interviewing with Bob Iger and Joining Bamtech Media

00:10:43 Forecasting the Unknown at Disney Plus

00:13:01 Launch Strategy – Mandalorian and Retention

00:15:15 Sponsors – Mercury, RightRev, and Tipalti

00:19:23 Forecasting, Retention Curves, and the Art vs. Science Balance

00:22:20 Lessons in Art and Science of Finance at Disney

00:25:08 Launch Day Chaos and the Disney Plus CDN Outage

00:26:24 Celebrating the 10 Million Subscriber Milestone

00:27:21 Grindr IPO and Financial Discovery

00:32:42 Active User Metrics and Reactivation Trends

00:34:29 Seasonality and Human Behavior in App Usage

00:36:02 Free vs. Paid Users and Revenue Optimization

00:38:21 Pricing Strategy and Global Monetization

00:40:23 Women in Leadership and Staying in the Game

00:43:30 Work–Life Balance and Career Seasons

00:46:12 Wisdom, Experience, and Staying in the Game

00:50:08 Finance Stack, Craziest Expense, and Closing Remarks

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SPONSORS:

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Fidelity Private Shares is the all-in-one equity management platform that keeps your cap table clean, your data room organized, and your equity story clear—so you never risk losing a fundraising round over messy records. Schedule a demo at https://www.fidelityprivateshares.com and mention Mostly Metrics to get 20% off.

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 https://www.metronome.com

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#RunTheNumbersPodcast #CFOInsights #DisneyPlus #GrindrIPO #Leadership

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