Articles

SaaS Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Finally Growing Up

Christie Pronto
July 7, 2025

SaaS Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Finally Growing Up

You’ve probably seen the headlines.

“SaaS is over.” “AI killed SaaS.” “Everyone’s building agents now.” It’s dramatic. It’s clickable. And like most hot takes, it’s missing the point.

SaaS isn’t dead—it’s being forced to grow up. The model isn’t collapsing; it’s being held accountable. And for the first time in a long time, that’s a good thing.

We’re watching an industry come to terms with the fact that convenience without clarity creates waste. The pendulum is swinging back—from bloated features and slick sales decks to actual outcomes, real efficiency, and tools people trust to get work done.

SaaS Was Never Meant to Be This Bloated

Early SaaS solved real problems. It untethered businesses from their hardware and made software feel accessible.

But then the race to dominate every category turned sleek tools into bloated ecosystems.

If you’ve ever paid $8,000 a month for seats your team doesn’t use—or toggled between six tabs just to approve a single invoice—you know the feeling.

VC-backed platforms chased valuation over value.

That worked—until it didn’t. Salesforce, long the poster child for enterprise SaaS, didn’t pivot to AI because it was trendy. T

hey launched Einstein Copilot because they had to. Users wanted less clicking and more clarity. They wanted insights, not inputs.

And when those users didn’t get it?

They started looking elsewhere.

AI Didn’t Kill SaaS—It Called Its Bluff

Here’s what AI did: it showed us how little of our software was actually smart.

Instead of clicking through forms and dropdowns, users now expect tools that think ahead. AI doesn’t need five connected SaaS platforms to complete a workflow.

It just needs access, context, and permission to act.

The companies that built on rigid UX now find themselves patching legacy logic.

The ones that built on trust and adaptability?

They’re ahead of the curve.

Notion’s evolution is a good example.

What started as a notes-and-wiki tool is now a dynamic assistant. Summaries, drafts, action plans—instantly generated.

Their AI layer isn’t just bolted on; it’s woven into how the product works. That’s what users are responding to: flow, not friction.

What the Smart SaaS Companies Are Doing Now

SaaS isn’t disappearing—it’s being redefined by those who stopped building software for themselves and started building systems for others.

  • Deep specialization over broad utility. Clio isn’t trying to be a generic CRM. It’s solving the real operational headaches of small and mid-sized law firms. That includes case timelines, trust accounting, and compliance tracking—baked in.
  • Systems that play well with others. Shopify didn’t become a leader by doing everything. It built an ecosystem. Apps, extensions, custom code—all designed to plug in, not lock down.
  • Pricing models that match value, not vanity. OpenAI’s pricing is a reflection of how AI reshapes consumption. You don’t pay for a seat—you pay for capability. That model is spreading, fast.
  • Support that understands before it replies. Gainsight isn’t just a platform—it’s a philosophy. When customer success becomes embedded logic, you don’t chase retention. You build it into the experience.

These shifts aren’t cosmetic.

They’re philosophical.

They're being made by teams asking a better question: Are we building something that helps our customers show up better in their business?

Custom Software Isn’t Surviving—It’s Thriving

The rise of AI hasn’t narrowed the path for custom builds. It’s expanded it. Why? Because SaaS, no matter how specialized, eventually hits a wall.

And businesses scaling past that wall don’t want hacks—they want clarity.

We’ve seen it firsthand:

  • Healthcare providers who can’t rely on anything hosted overseas
  • Operations teams drowning in clipboard logistics and manual checks
  • Internal teams spending hours reconciling data across three platforms that were never meant to talk to each other

Custom systems step in where SaaS can’t flex.

And now, with AI-enhanced tooling, we’re building those systems faster, smarter, and with baked-in intelligence:

  • GitHub Copilot gives our developers a running start
  • Embedded AI models prioritize, sort, and flag issues based on real-world impact
  • Security models aren’t one-size-fits-all—they evolve with the org’s needs

And if you think this is just us, look at Palantir.

They’re not in the business of pretty dashboards. They build deeply tailored AI-powered software for some of the most complex operations on the planet.

Because generic doesn’t scale. Precision does.

The Real Future?

Where this all leads isn’t hard to imagine. You’ll still use SaaS platforms. But they won’t live in silos. They’ll be part of custom, intelligent ecosystems that work behind the scenes. Not louder software. Smarter software.

Intercom’s shift to AI support agents is a sign of this. Not just a chat widget with scripts, but a connected layer that draws from your docs, your logic, your tools—and responds like a team member who’s been there for years.

That’s not a nice-to-have. That’s where expectations are heading.

And through all of this, one thing stays true:

We believe that business is built on transparency and trust. We believe that good software is built the same way.

So no, SaaS isn’t dead.

But the version of it that confused access for value? That’s fading fast.

The next wave is smarter, leaner, and built with purpose.

And if you’re ready for that? We’re already building it.

AI
Tech
Christie Pronto
July 7, 2025
Podcasts

SaaS Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Finally Growing Up

Christie Pronto
July 7, 2025

SaaS Isn’t Dead—It’s Just Finally Growing Up

You’ve probably seen the headlines.

“SaaS is over.” “AI killed SaaS.” “Everyone’s building agents now.” It’s dramatic. It’s clickable. And like most hot takes, it’s missing the point.

SaaS isn’t dead—it’s being forced to grow up. The model isn’t collapsing; it’s being held accountable. And for the first time in a long time, that’s a good thing.

We’re watching an industry come to terms with the fact that convenience without clarity creates waste. The pendulum is swinging back—from bloated features and slick sales decks to actual outcomes, real efficiency, and tools people trust to get work done.

SaaS Was Never Meant to Be This Bloated

Early SaaS solved real problems. It untethered businesses from their hardware and made software feel accessible.

But then the race to dominate every category turned sleek tools into bloated ecosystems.

If you’ve ever paid $8,000 a month for seats your team doesn’t use—or toggled between six tabs just to approve a single invoice—you know the feeling.

VC-backed platforms chased valuation over value.

That worked—until it didn’t. Salesforce, long the poster child for enterprise SaaS, didn’t pivot to AI because it was trendy. T

hey launched Einstein Copilot because they had to. Users wanted less clicking and more clarity. They wanted insights, not inputs.

And when those users didn’t get it?

They started looking elsewhere.

AI Didn’t Kill SaaS—It Called Its Bluff

Here’s what AI did: it showed us how little of our software was actually smart.

Instead of clicking through forms and dropdowns, users now expect tools that think ahead. AI doesn’t need five connected SaaS platforms to complete a workflow.

It just needs access, context, and permission to act.

The companies that built on rigid UX now find themselves patching legacy logic.

The ones that built on trust and adaptability?

They’re ahead of the curve.

Notion’s evolution is a good example.

What started as a notes-and-wiki tool is now a dynamic assistant. Summaries, drafts, action plans—instantly generated.

Their AI layer isn’t just bolted on; it’s woven into how the product works. That’s what users are responding to: flow, not friction.

What the Smart SaaS Companies Are Doing Now

SaaS isn’t disappearing—it’s being redefined by those who stopped building software for themselves and started building systems for others.

  • Deep specialization over broad utility. Clio isn’t trying to be a generic CRM. It’s solving the real operational headaches of small and mid-sized law firms. That includes case timelines, trust accounting, and compliance tracking—baked in.
  • Systems that play well with others. Shopify didn’t become a leader by doing everything. It built an ecosystem. Apps, extensions, custom code—all designed to plug in, not lock down.
  • Pricing models that match value, not vanity. OpenAI’s pricing is a reflection of how AI reshapes consumption. You don’t pay for a seat—you pay for capability. That model is spreading, fast.
  • Support that understands before it replies. Gainsight isn’t just a platform—it’s a philosophy. When customer success becomes embedded logic, you don’t chase retention. You build it into the experience.

These shifts aren’t cosmetic.

They’re philosophical.

They're being made by teams asking a better question: Are we building something that helps our customers show up better in their business?

Custom Software Isn’t Surviving—It’s Thriving

The rise of AI hasn’t narrowed the path for custom builds. It’s expanded it. Why? Because SaaS, no matter how specialized, eventually hits a wall.

And businesses scaling past that wall don’t want hacks—they want clarity.

We’ve seen it firsthand:

  • Healthcare providers who can’t rely on anything hosted overseas
  • Operations teams drowning in clipboard logistics and manual checks
  • Internal teams spending hours reconciling data across three platforms that were never meant to talk to each other

Custom systems step in where SaaS can’t flex.

And now, with AI-enhanced tooling, we’re building those systems faster, smarter, and with baked-in intelligence:

  • GitHub Copilot gives our developers a running start
  • Embedded AI models prioritize, sort, and flag issues based on real-world impact
  • Security models aren’t one-size-fits-all—they evolve with the org’s needs

And if you think this is just us, look at Palantir.

They’re not in the business of pretty dashboards. They build deeply tailored AI-powered software for some of the most complex operations on the planet.

Because generic doesn’t scale. Precision does.

The Real Future?

Where this all leads isn’t hard to imagine. You’ll still use SaaS platforms. But they won’t live in silos. They’ll be part of custom, intelligent ecosystems that work behind the scenes. Not louder software. Smarter software.

Intercom’s shift to AI support agents is a sign of this. Not just a chat widget with scripts, but a connected layer that draws from your docs, your logic, your tools—and responds like a team member who’s been there for years.

That’s not a nice-to-have. That’s where expectations are heading.

And through all of this, one thing stays true:

We believe that business is built on transparency and trust. We believe that good software is built the same way.

So no, SaaS isn’t dead.

But the version of it that confused access for value? That’s fading fast.

The next wave is smarter, leaner, and built with purpose.

And if you’re ready for that? We’re already building it.

Our superpower is custom software development that gets it done.