There will be a fundamental shift in how software creates value for users. The vast majority of existing software is built upon three layers (data, logic, and presentation) using a variety of MVC frameworks. The cloud-based stacks are very efficient relative to older device-centric programming models. Agents, usage data, and feature requests will shape how software is developed. Sophisticated SaaS products will be built with developers and maintained by fewer developers over time. Bug fixes and new features that are currently done by developers will be done by the SaaS platform itself with a few developers to validate and verify the changes.
My thinking on the future of SaaS is based on what I see happening in the RevOps SaaS tools market. In two previous blog posts (part 1, part 2), I discussed how powerful RevOps tools are being used to scale SaaS companies. Over time, the addition of usage data, sales-related and customer support/success data will enable companies to automate their business to extreme levels. This will involve agents automating much of the SaaS functionality currently done by people (See Impact graphic). Over time, the number of GTM engineers needed will decline because the system will learn how to become more efficient and iterate itself through automated agents.
