Veteran IT exec's thought experiment: agentic AI merges open-source clones, vertical domain knowledge is the moat
perilli · x · 2026-09-29
A 26-year IT industry veteran proposes a thought experiment: ask an AI agent to scan GitHub for every project trying to replace Photoshop/AutoCAD/MATLAB, merge their work into one shared repository, and invite each owner to join.
- Today: most vendors ship general-purpose software later customized via consulting; very few build deep vertical domain expertise
- The scenario: if the software community, working collectively with agentic AI, can deliver the same general-purpose value at negligible cost, the next value-creation opportunity lies in features depending on domain knowledge that is exceptionally hard to acquire and maintain
- One of many scenarios worth thinking through as 'SaaSpocalypse' talk heats up
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