SaaS is not dying

The original post by u/hardesoul argued that SaaS is not dying, citing the industry's growth from $50 billion to $400 billion over 10 years and emphasizing that most people prefer buying solutions over building them due to convenience and brand loyalty. The poster compared this to note-taking apps and streaming services, where free alternatives exist but paid options thrive. They suggested AI is actually filtering out low-quality products rather than killing the industry. The community response was mixed but generally supportive. Several commenters agreed that convenience wins over cost savings, with u/listenhere111 from a Fortune 500 company explaining that enterprises avoid building internal solutions due to maintenance complexity and liability concerns. However, some raised valid concerns about AI's impact. u/jointheredditarmy argued that outsourced development could now recreate the core functionality most users actually need at much lower costs. u/PennyStonkingtonIII suggested small SaaS companies are vulnerable while larger ones with complex ecosystems will survive. Others like u/McBonderson shared examples of successfully replacing expensive SaaS with cheaper alternatives using AI assistance. The consensus emerged that while SaaS as a category will survive, the bar for quality is rising, competition is increasing due to lower development costs, and companies need to provide genuine value beyond basic functionality.