Saas Isn’t Coming Back. Something Much Bigger Is Replacing It
SaaS is dead. Vertical AI companies with domain expertise and proprietary data are the new moat.
Why it matters
Strategic thesis piece arguing that the competitive landscape for enterprise software is fundamentally shifting from horizontal SaaS to AI-native, vertical platforms—a strategic insight leaders need to understand when planning product roadmaps and investment thesis.
The key facts
10 to knowNext wave of software is AI-native, industry-specific platforms
Vertical AI companies will be biggest winners
Competitive moats now require: deep domain expertise, proprietary data, strong customer relationships
Generic horizontal SaaS cannot compete with this model
Author: Richard de Silva
Thesis: AI-native, industry-specific platforms replacing horizontal SaaS
Competitive moats shift from product generality to domain expertise + proprietary data
Vertical AI companies identified as biggest winners
Author: Richard de Silva (guest contributor, Crunchbase)
Published: June 2026
Go to the source
Crunchbase Newsnews.crunchbase.com
Publisher excerpt: The next wave of software will be AI-native, industry-specific platforms, writes guest author Richard de Silva who believes the biggest winners will be vertical AI companies with deep domain expertise, proprietary data and strong customer relationships, as these advantages create durable…