Could AI Disruption Fears Trigger a Software M&A Boom?

About this episode

The episode discusses fears of AI disrupting traditional software markets and the potential for a software M&A boom.

In this week's episode of WSJ’s Take On the Week, co-host Miriam Gottfried and guest host Dan Gallagher, a tech columnist for Heard on the Street, chat with Jefferies software analyst Brent Thill about the recent turbulence in the business software market. They talk about the growing fears that AI will replace the need for traditional software-as-a-service, or SaaS, platforms like Intuit, Salesforce, and Workday. They analyze how the narrative around AI "vibe coding"—where businesses generate their own apps using simple text prompts—has led to a sharp selloff in cloud software stocks. They also note other factors weighing on the sector, including tech layoffs and the shift away from seat-based software pricing models and toward consumption-based metrics. After the break, Thill explains why he thinks the market's fears over AI disrupting major enterprise software are overblown. They explore why large companies won't trust AI with critical systems for payroll, accounting or taxes. Then Thill makes the case for why AI infrastructure and security companies remain safe bets, and why the current tech selloff and depressed valuations are setting the stage for a massive tech M&A boom…

People in this episode

Host: Miriam Gottfried

Guests: Dan Gallagher, Brent Thill

Topics covered

• AI disruption
• software market
• M&A boom
• cloud software stocks
• tech layoffs
• enterprise software

Keywords

• AI
• software-as-a-service
• SaaS
• cloud stocks
• tech selloff
• private-equity
• M&A
• enterprise software

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Jefferies, Intuit, Salesforce, Workday, WSJ, Heard on the Street

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