‘Agents are very harsh customers’: Microsoft exec warns many apps will lose pricing leverage
Microsoft exec: most business software will run BEHIND agents, not in front of users — gutting pricing power and loyalty.
Why it matters
Charles Lamanna warns that agentic AI will commoditize traditional SaaS by removing the human user from the equation — agents will shop, decide, and execute autonomously, leaving apps with less direct customer lock-in and pricing leverage. This reframes the competitive threat agents pose to enterprise software economics, not just capability.
The key facts
8 to knowCharles Lamanna (Microsoft) warning: most business software will end up running behind AI agents rather than in front of users
Agents will reduce pricing power and customer loyalty for traditional apps
Amazon blocked Meta's Muse agent from shopping on its site (concurrent enforcement of access boundaries)
Statement frames agentic AI as a structural threat to SaaS economics, not a feature adoption story
Charles Lamanna (Microsoft): 'agents are very harsh customers' — most business software will run behind agents, not in front of users
Implication: apps lose direct pricing power and customer loyalty as agents disintermediate the user
Amazon blocks Meta's Muse agent from shopping on its site — early signal of agent-access restrictions by platform operators
Timeframe: agent adoption is accelerating across enterprise; this is a near-term business model threat, not speculative
Go to the source
GeekWiregeekwire.com
Publisher excerpt: Microsoft's Charles Lamanna says most business software will end up running behind AI agents rather than in front of users, leaving apps with less pricing power and customer loyalty. His comments come as Amazon blocks Meta's Muse agent from shopping on its site.