In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Ryan Roccon, CFO of Zapier, to cover AI hiring standards, automating month-end close, measuring ROI on AI spend, and why determinism still beats agents most of the time.

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SPONSORS:

EY has been part of Silicon Valley since it was just a valley, helping the most successful names in tech go from startup to exit to megacap. With teams across strategy, tax, audit, and transactions, EY helps you get your financials right early, long before your investors start asking for it. You build the next big thing, and EY will help you build it right. Learn more at https://www.ey.com/techstartups

SpendHound cuts your SaaS and AI spend by up to 30% using real pricing benchmarks across 10,000 vendors, so you always know what fair pricing looks like before your next renewal. Rated #1 on G2 in SaaS spend management, it's free forever for teams up to 1,000 employees. Sign up by June 12th and get $500 just for getting started. Go to https://www.spendhound.com/cj

Brex is an intelligent finance platform with AI-powered agents that capture expenses automatically, enforce policy before the spend happens, and close your books in minutes instead of weeks. 35,000+ companies like OpenAI, Coinbase, Anthropic, and DoorDash already run on Brex. It's time to get Brex AF. Learn more at https://www.brex.com/metrics

Aleph is a modern FP&A platform built for teams that want more than another planning tool. By connecting your ERP, CRM, and other systems into one trusted data layer with AI workflows, Aleph helps you move faster with real-time insights. Get a personalized demo at https://www.getaleph.com/run

RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform that lets your product team ship new pricing without asking finance for permission, and your sales team close deals without creating downstream chaos. Check out their free tool at calculator.rightrev.com It scores your rev rec process, shows what's exposing you to risk, and tells you exactly where to focus before it bites you in the rear end. Check it out at https://calculator.rightrev.com

Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj

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LINKS:

Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsN

Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanroccon/

Company: https://zapier.com/

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

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

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RELATED EPISODES:

Ryan’s First Appearance

https://youtu.be/VIZ_RzfV78I

Chris Byington, Head of Data @ Superhuman

https://youtu.be/ydH38JnWfww

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TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Preview and intro

2:11 Ryan's scope at Zapier

3:17 Why the finance guy runs ecosystems

6:19 AI is a required hire competency

6:46 The four levels: unacceptable to transformative

8:48 How Zapier tests for it

11:50 Favorite interview question

13:06 Sponsors — EY | SpendHound | Brex

16:18 AI changes the hiring profile

17:07 Support becomes customer-facing engineering

18:44 Where AI beats deterministic Zaps

21:00 80-90% of builds are deterministic

22:41 Sponsors — Aleph | RightRev | Rillet

26:00 Month end close on Zaps

27:40 Time saved is a leading indicator

29:53 AI token costs: COGS or investment?

31:51 Performance issue or measurement issue?

33:41 Partner ARR: chasing the wrong thing

35:56 Build around what changes the decision

37:17 The initiative sizing coach

40:00 Escalate on magnitude, not certainty

41:55 The 9,000 integration story

44:02 M&A process and minimum model

46:19 Cash vs. stock: incentive alignment

48:06 CFO's role in M&A: show up early

49:18 Credits

Zapier's CFO on Closing the Books in 5 Days, AI Hiring Bars, and M&A Discipline

Run the Numbers

Zapier's CFO on Closing the Books in 5 Days, AI Hiring Bars, and M&A Discipline