> Billing really is complicated, but the people who set the policies don't understand that. The very first startup I joined in the late '90s tackled this probl

> Billing really is complicated, but the people who set the policies don't understand that. The very first startup I joined in the late '90s tackled this problem. The company tackled billing and all of its complexities by building a SaaS product before SaaS was a widely used term (even the company didn't call it SaaS for a few years). The level of complexity was very high. Creating rules, calculating charges, dealing with taxes, ensuring things were auditable, and making it all performant were all huge challenges. Basic billing of hours x rate is easy, but (as you've noted) it's a rare person that is content with that. I cringe every time someone says "We'll build it ourselves" when it comes to billing. Even for simple things like the 10% discount (new customers only, plans > $9.99/month, discount expires after 3 months) get complicated very quickly.