Before you commit, get a second opinion.

You're about to sign a committed-spend deal, pick a model, or lock in an architecture. The Second Opinion Hotline is a fast, fixed-price gut-check from someone who does this for a living. You send the decision, I send back the risks I see and the one thing that will cost you most. From $300.

Get a second opinion →

Tell me the decision and pick a tier. Fixed price, no upsell.

The moment right before you're locked in.

The trigger is always the same sentence: "We're about to commit to this — is it right?" That's the cheapest possible moment to catch an expensive mistake.

Independent judgment, not a sales call.

Light on you by design.

  1. Send the decision. A short description of what you're about to commit to and why, plus whatever's relevant — a diagram, a vendor quote, a term sheet, or current usage numbers. Screenshots are fine. No system access, ever.
  2. Pick a tier. An async written review, a live call, or a board-ready decision memo. You know the price up front.
  3. Get judgment back, fast. Async reviews land within 48 hours of complete inputs. You get something specific and actionable, or your money back.
From $300
Fixed price · Fixed scope

Three ways to get a second opinion, depending on how deep you need to go and who you need to convince.

Async Review

$300 · 48-hour turnaround

Send your decision and context, get back a 1–2 page written review: the risks, what I'd do differently, and the one thing that will cost you most. Best for a fast sanity check.

Live Call

$500 · booked within 5 days

A 45–60 minute recorded call to talk it through together, with a one-page written summary after. Best when you'd rather work it out live.

Decision Memo

$1,500 · 5 business days

A formal written memo: options analysis, cost implications per option, and a clear recommendation. Board- and client-presentable. Best when you need to show your work.

The guarantee: if the review doesn't give you at least one specific, actionable thing you didn't already know, tell me and I'll refund it.

Anyone at a decision point.

Founders and solo builders picking a stack before they scale. CTOs and eng leads about to sign a capacity deal. Dev shops and agencies scoping an AI build for a client. Nontechnical CEOs handed an architecture they can't independently judge.

Not sure it's worth $300? That's usually the exact moment it is — the decisions that feel not-worth-checking are the ones that quietly become the biggest line on the bill.

Cloud cost discipline, applied to AI.

Saurav Sharma. I'm a cloud and AI cost optimization consultant. I spent 6 years at Amazon, first as a Senior Technical Account Manager on large enterprise accounts — cloud architecture, cost optimization, reliability, scaling — then building LLM and GenAI platforms as an engineer.

I hold 12 AWS certifications, teach 33,000+ students on Udemy, and run the CloudYeti YouTube channel. This offer exists because the same architecture and committed-spend questions come up again and again, and catching them early is worth far more than $300.

Sometimes it's bigger than one decision.

If the review turns up a decision you can fix and move on, great — take the win. But if what you're really describing is an ongoing AI spend that nobody owns, that's a different job: the AI Cost Audit, a scoped review of your whole bill with every finding priced. If you go that route, I credit your second-opinion fee toward it.

Get a second opinion before you commit.

Get a second opinion →

Tell me the decision and pick a tier. Fixed price, no upsell.

Common questions.

Do you need access to our systems?

No. You send context — a description, a diagram, a quote, some usage numbers. Screenshots are fine. I never need credentials or production access.

Will you sign an NDA?

Yes.

What if you tell me my plan is already fine?

Then you get written confirmation that the decision is sound, plus the specific things to watch as prices and options change. That's a valid — and useful — outcome.

How is this different from the AI Cost Audit?

The second opinion is about a decision you're about to make — fast, cheap, forward-looking. The audit is a deep review of AI spend you already have, with a full report and dollar figures. If you need the audit, I'll say so, and credit this fee toward it.

How fast do I hear back?

Async reviews land within 48 hours of complete inputs. Calls are booked within 5 days. Decision memos take 5 business days. If I'll miss a deadline, I tell you before it, not after.

How do I pay and get started?

Start here — tell me the decision you're facing and which tier fits. I'll confirm scope and price before any work begins.