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Strategy

The 3 forces quietly dismantling the business model that made enterprise software fabulously profitable

AI coding agents and vertical workflow automation are eroding SaaS vendors' traditional switching-cost moats and licensing margins, forcing enterprise software toward output-based pricing models and commoditized competition.

Friday, April 17, 2026 12:00 PM UTC2 MIN READSOURCE: Fortune AIBY sys://pipeline

AI is dismantling the economic moat that made enterprise software uniquely profitable. Three structural forces are collapsing SaaS margins: lower barriers to entry from AI coding agents, dissatisfied customers now able to switch, and AI-enabled vertical workflow redesign replacing standardized horizontal platforms. The industry is shifting toward output-based pricing and new competitive dynamics.

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