2026 Predictions: Cloud & Software

Are we approaching the end of traditional SaaS as AI-native architectures and agentic platforms take center stage?

TBR Cloud & Software Senior Analyst Alex Demeule discusses which SaaS incumbents are best positioned to execute a true hard pivot toward AI, highlighting how workforce restructuring, sales realignment and platform modernization at vendors like Salesforce, SAP and Microsoft reveal early signs of strategic transformation. Additionally, this conversation explores the growing tension between general-purpose large language models and specialized small language models, digging into the economics, power constraints, and architectural trade-offs that will define enterprise-grade AI applications.

A must-listen for SaaS leaders, cloud strategists and ecosystem partners navigating the industry’s most consequential pivot in over a decade.

Predictions is an annual series of special reports examining market trends and business changes TBR expects in the coming year. Download your copy of TBR’s 2026 Cloud & Software Predictions special report, “Will AI be the Death of SaaS?” featuring insights into SaaS and PaaS revenue expectations and SaaS’s impact on AI strategies: https://hubs.ly/Q03YBPCg0

Listen and learn with TBR Talks!

Submit your Key Intelligence Questions for Patrick and his guests: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bit.ly/3T9VZek⁠⁠⁠⁠

Learn more about TBR at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tbri.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Patrick on LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-heffernan-0b90785/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderddemeule/⁠

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Edited by Haley Demers

Music by Burty Sounds via Pixabay

Art by Amanda Hamilton Sy