Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has warned that the software-as-a-service (SaaS) sector is approaching a turning point, with rapid advances in artificial intelligence likely to upend traditional development models and trigger a wave of consolidation.
Addressing claims that AI systems such as Clawdbot could make conventional programming redundant within two years, Vembu pointed to an increasingly downbeat mood among investors towards SaaS firms.
“The stock market is becoming very negative about the prospects of SaaS companies in the AI-assisted Code era. Well before the AI revolution, I have said SaaS industry is ripe for consolidation. An industry that spends vastly more on sales and marketing than on engineering and product development was always vulnerable,” he wrote.
The stock market is becoming very negative about the prospects of SaaS companies in the AI-assisted Code era. Well before the AI revolution, I have said SaaS industry is ripe for consolidation. An industry that spends vastly more on sales and marketing than on engineering and… https://t.co/JHhodD4VPo
— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) February 4, 2026
He attributed the sector’s past growth to a “venture capital bubble and then the stock market bubble” that propped up an “unsustainable model,” with artificial intelligence now acting as the “pin that is popping this inflated balloon.”
Addressing Zoho’s own future, Vembu posed a direct question: “Can Zoho survive the AI wave? It depends on our ability to adapt.”
He revealed an internal philosophy of encouraging employees to “calmly contemplate our death,” arguing that embracing such existential risks fosters fearlessness and clearer strategic paths.
Vembu was responding to a widely shared post that claimed Clawdbot would soon be capable of managing the entire software lifecycle, covering everything from user interfaces and server-side systems to databases, infrastructure, project management and round-the-clock maintenance, all through plain-English prompts usable by anyone familiar with basic MS Office tools.
The post argued this would make traditional development environments, offshore teams and specialised coding software redundant.
SaaS contining to get murdered. I will tell you 100% without a doubt, having pushed my Clawdbot extremely hard (which many of you have seen), in 24 months, the vast majority of software will be built start to finish with a similar tool. There is no need even for an IDE, no need… pic.twitter.com/aOhaSXu35k
— TheValueist (@TheValueist) February 3, 2026
Vembu’s post generated several reactions. One user wrote, “Indian IT companies are not typical software product firms – they are effectively the outsourced IT departments of global enterprises. Their revenues are embedded in mission-critical systems, operations, and transformation programs, making them far stickier and less vulnerable to AI disruption than standalone software vendors.”
Indian IT companies are not typical software product firms – they are effectively the outsourced IT departments of global enterprises. Their revenues are embedded in mission-critical systems, operations, and transformation programs, making them far stickier and less vulnerable to…
— Gangadhar Kini (@WCupboard11365) February 4, 2026
Another user posted, “All major IT companies stocks are falling like dominoes. The shift from a ‘sales-led’ to a ‘product-led’ era is long overdue, and I think our culture of engineering-first gives us a head start that the ‘VC darlings’ lack. Where should our first pivot be?”
All major IT companies stocks are falling like dominoes. The shift from a ‘sales-led’ to a ‘product-led’ era is long overdue, and I think our culture of engineering-first gives us a head start that the ‘VC darlings’ lack. where should our first pivot be?
— APB (@AnilPB7) February 4, 2026
Vembu’s philosophy echoes his long-standing advocacy for sustainable, engineering-led growth over hype-driven expansion: a stance that has kept Zoho bootstrapped and profitable even as peers chased unicorn status.
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