AI leads a service-as-software paradigm shift - Foundation Capital

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the shift towards a "Service-as-Software" model, where AI-powered solutions are disrupting traditional software and services markets. It highlights the $4.6 trillion opportunity in automating various business functions like sales, marketing, software engineering, and cybersecurity. The article also explores how this transition does not necessarily mean the extinction of the SaaS model, but rather a coexistence of multiple business models.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The push towards services

1. What is the $4.6 trillion opportunity mentioned in the article?

• The article states that the push towards services represents a $4.6 trillion opportunity, as the global services market is much larger than the software market.

2. How does the shift to "Service-as-Software" differ from traditional SaaS?

• In traditional SaaS, the customer is responsible for using the software tool to achieve the desired outcome. In the "Service-as-Software" model, the responsibility for achieving the desired outcome sits with the company selling the service, which is often powered by AI.

3. What are the three waves of innovation in intelligent process automation that the article mentions?

• The article does not provide details on the three specific waves of innovation in intelligent process automation. It only states that Foundation Capital has been investing in this space for over a decade and has traced the history of these waves.

[02] AI disrupting software and services

1. How is AI disrupting the software and services markets?

• AI is enabling software to take on work that was previously handled by highly skilled human workers, such as sales, software engineering, and cybersecurity. This allows software to fundamentally alter how these jobs are executed, leading to significant disruption.

2. What are the two main areas of potential automation and AI disruption mentioned in the article?

• The article mentions two main areas:
  • Salaries of jobs globally (e.g., sales & marketing, software engineering, security, HR)
  • Outsourced services and salaries, both IT services and business process services

3. How does the shift to "Software-as-Autonomous-Service" change the business model for software companies?

• Instead of charging customers per seat based on the number of employees, software vendors can now charge based on the number of qualified opportunities or signed customers their software delivers, aligning the cost with the associated business value.

[03] Coexistence of business models

1. How does the article suggest that the SaaS model and the "Service-as-Software" model can coexist?

• The article states that different customer segments may choose to outsource certain functions, while others will keep them in-house. There may be a "human-in-the-loop vs human-out-of-the-loop" debate around each task or line of business, where AI-powered companies can either challenge or complement SaaS incumbents.

2. What is the key takeaway about the future of services and AI?

• The article suggests that the "service-as-software" shift represents a "once-in-a-lifetime" development, where services are not just delivered as software but are constantly learning and evolving alongside us.