Why Most AI Roadmaps Are Backwards

In a previous post, How to Monetize Your AI Roadmap, I introduced a simple framework for understanding why most AI initiatives stall before they ever generate real revenue.

This piece picks up where that framework leaves off.

It argues that the root cause of the AI revenue gap is sequencing. Most teams design AI roadmaps starting with features and work backward to monetization. The teams that succeed reverse the order. They start with the outcome they want to own, define the pricing unit that captures its value, and only then design the roadmap.

This post explains why feature-first roadmaps fail, what pricing-first roadmaps look like in practice, and why this distinction increasingly determines product success, valuation, and M&A outcomes in the AI era.