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

February 13, 2026

Here's something that might surprise you — many experts say SaaS isn’t dead, but the landscape is shifting fast. In a16z’s latest episode, Anish Acharya argues that the hype around vibe coding and AI-driven apps is overblown. ((slower)) According to Acharya, the real story isn’t about flashy new apps, but how foundation models and coding agents are lowering switching costs for customers. So what does that mean? Startups might actually have an edge over incumbents because they can adapt faster. ((upbeat)) And get this — Anish from a16z points out that the biggest wins will come from boring, reliable products, not weird or wild innovations. ((thoughtful)) Content+a16zpodcast@a16z.com highlights that defensibility in this new world looks different — it's about simple, solid value, not complexity. So, as Acharya and Harry Stebbings suggest, the future’s about steady, boring wins — nothing flashy, but everything sustainable.

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.

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