The “AI will kill SaaS” narrative is starting to feel too simplistic.
The SaaS leaders I speak with aren’t backing away from AI. They’re getting clearer about where it creates real value.
AI brings intelligence. Software provides the workflow, experience, and guardrails. Proprietary data gives it context. The opportunity isn’t to replace SaaS with AI, but to rethink SaaS around all three.
That came through clearly in my conversations with Raju and Jay this month—from AI agents working alongside people to how AI gets embedded directly into the products customers already use.
The next generation of SaaS won’t be less software. It will be better software, built with AI at its core.
What does great SaaS look like in an AI-first world? Raju joined us to talk about human-and-agent workflows, the risk of “AI agent slop,” how Certinia is evolving, and the five elements behind a great AI agent.
BONUS CONTENT
I asked Raju to share a decision that surprised him.
“One decision I made after joining Certinia was to bring our distributed teams together for a one-day event focused on building, sharing ideas, and learning together.
We call it ‘Elevate’ because the goal is to elevate our skills, engagement, and impact. I expected it to help with engagement, but it became much more than that. It’s now an important part of our culture and how we learn as a company.
Our teams lead the sessions, and each event has a fun theme—we’ve done everything from musical theater to Stranger Things. It feels a bit like a festival, but it’s still rooted in real business impact. It’s something I’m very proud of.”
Jay and I talked about growth strategies for different stages of company maturity, the rise of autonomous AI agents in SaaS, and why MCP will matter. We also covered why new competitors struggle to take market share—and why great UX and likeability still matter.
BONUS CONTENT
I asked Jay to share a decision he’s especially glad he made.
“One of the big bets we made was investing in AI before it became mainstream. We believed early on that AI could be incredibly meaningful for Typeform and the problems we solve. Since then, that bet has only continued to compound—and it’s one I’m very glad we made.”
Books Behind the Leaders: Recommendations from our Guests
I always ask our guests to recommend a book, or perhaps a blog or podcast, that has been helpful in their lives—professionally or personally. Check out what our recent guests have recommended.
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