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Shift Left FinOps, Predict Cloud Costs Before You Ship Code | Ep 26

by | Feb 10, 2026 | Podcast

Cloud cost optimization is broken, because engineers ship code without knowing the price tag. In this episode, Hassan Khajeh-Hosseini, the founder of Infracost, breaks down shift left FinOps, the checkout screen for cloud, and how modern teams prevent waste before it hits the bill.

If you are a founder, operator, or tech leader dealing with runaway AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud spend, this conversation will reframe how cost governance should actually work. We cover why the market is crowded yet fragmented, what it takes to scale in FinOps, and how distribution wins when products get pulled by engineers.

You will also hear real founder lessons on fundraising, why a technically hard product creates defensibility, and how product market fit feels when your hair is on fire.

In this episode:
• Why cloud pricing exploded from simple hourly rates to millions of price points
• The flaw in traditional FinOps, visibility after the bill arrives
• Shift left FinOps, predicting cloud cost before code ships
• How a single change could have added $550,000 per month, and how it got prevented
• The real ICP for cloud cost prevention, engineers, platform teams, FinOps practitioners, and engineering leadership
• Why inbound distribution beats pushing with sales, especially in crowded markets
• Fundraising basics, story, connections, and early usage signals
• Why product market fit does not last, and why it can feel scary when it hits

Episode Highlights

00:00:00:01 – 00:00:06:03 New FinOps roles emerge, and why the category is changing 00:00:06:08 – 00:00:14:15 The three B2B value props, save money, make money, reduce risk 00:01:02:19 – 00:02:40:21 How cloud pricing scaled into massive complexity 00:05:08:16 – 00:07:26:09 Shift left FinOps, running cost simulations inside Git workflows 00:08:10:12 – 00:10:53:17 Why enterprise cloud bills blow up, and where waste hides 00:11:04:01 – 00:13:05:22 ICP and personas, engineers, champions, and buyers 00:16:17:02 – 00:19:04:12 Cost prevention story, stopping a $550,000 per month change 00:22:24:02 – 00:24:41:23 FinOps for AI, controlling Azure OpenAI usage and policies 00:25:16:22 – 00:28:14:08 Fundraising, story, network, metrics, and customer learning loops 00:35:44:10 – 00:39:27:11 Differentiation, hard product, distribution pull, and seat based pricing 00:41:55:10 – 00:45:09:10 The failed startup lesson, why white glove talent breaks tests 00:53:47:20 – 00:57:31:23 Product market fit, why it is ongoing and what it feels like 00:58:57:23 – 01:01:45:19 Enterprise AI clauses, approvals, and AI features that open PRs 01:03:32:04 – 01:05:18:15 Books and podcasts that shaped the founders thinking

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