a16z: Incumbents shift from retrieval to agentic action, but AI-native startups can still win
a16z · x · 2026-09-04
a16z partner Seema Amble's new piece "The Incumbents Are Coming" argues enterprise software AI has moved beyond lookup: Salesforce updates pipelines, DocuSign redlines contracts, Workday runs HR and finance tasks — incumbents are upgrading from retrieval to agentic action.
Yet AI-native startups still have room: real work spans every system a company runs, so no single record understands it. Doing the whole job better unlocks a compounding learning loop.
Her thesis: "The incumbent may own the record and the lab may control the front door, but the vertical AI company can still win by becoming the best at doing the job itself" — leveraging data depth, cross-system reach, and learning loops rather than fighting systems of record head-on. Context: the debate sparked by Anthropic's Claude for Excel launch.
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