Anish Acharya: Is SaaS Dead in a World of AI?

February 12
1h 21m

Episode Description

In this episode from 20VC, Harry Stebbings talks with Anish Acharya, general partner at a16z, about the future of SaaS in an AI world. Anish argues that software is completely oversold and that the general story about vibe coding everything is flat wrong. They discuss why SaaS switching costs are actually going down thanks to coding agents, where startups versus incumbents will win, and whether the apps layer or foundation models will capture more value. They also cover agent overhype, the changing UI paradigm, what defensibility looks like now, and why boring wins versus weird wins in this product cycle.

 

Resources:

Follow Anish Acharya on X:  https://twitter.com/illscience

Follow Harry Stebbings on X:  https://twitter.com/HarryStebbings

Listen to more from 20VC: https://www.thetwentyminutevc.com/

Check out 20VC's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@20VC

 

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Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg

 

Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.


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