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Why we wrote this

There’s SO much noise in this space. This letter is intended for anyone building AI features, as well as for our sanity. When there’s this much confusion, laying bare our beliefs helps us stay true to our vision: a world where technology feels more human. We hope this brings clarity. Either this resonates with you, or we annoy the heck out of you. But hey, you can’t be loved by everyone!

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We’re at another iPhone moment

When the iPhone launched, BlackBerry’s CEO said customers would never want a phone without a keyboard. When Marc Andreessen built the first web browser, executives couldn’t fathom running software over the internet. We’re at another one of those moments. Every interface you touch today-from Salesforce to Slack, Notion to Netflix-will look different in three years, not because of better designs, but because we’re witnessing a fundamental shift from complex interfaces to software that simply understands us.

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What this means for Software Providers

Well, it’s the end of software providers and SaaS. Something new is emerging instead. The AI-Native software company. Maturity Model for AI-Native Software Providers Consider running a marketing campaign today: start in your CRM, move to marketing automation, jump to scheduling software, switch to proposal tools, and then return to your CRM for follow-ups. Each system has its own login credentials, data, and workflows. Imagine doing all of that through one conversation: “Launch a campaign targeting enterprise prospects in healthcare who visited our pricing page but haven’t scheduled a demo, but check with me for approval before you start.” The point being, agents work vertically throughout an entire stack. They are use-case driven. People will not need to use the myriad of different systems in most instances. This means the use cases you support and have invested millions in can be replaced. It means the way you charge may have to change. The way you build has to change. The way you think must change.
Don’t worry - not many software companies have transformed (yet). See this as an opportunity, not just a threat.
Our entire product, business model, team, and processes are solely focused on helping technology providers transition from the deciding, prototyping, and retrofitting stages to becoming AI-native. This means we have the privilege of seeing what’s happening across the market and the unique challenges faced by software vendors at this time. If you read to the bottom of this letter, you will understand our view on what is essential on this journey and how best to approach it.
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