Episode 823 | Hot Take Tuesday: Is A.I. Killing B2B SaaS?, ChatGPT Ads, OpenClaw

51 snips

Mar 10, 2026

Tracy Osborn, Head of Product at TinySeed and MicroConf, supports SaaS founders and programs. Einar Vollset, founder at Discretion Capital and TinySeed co-founder, advises on M&A and SaaS exits. They debate whether AI is replacing B2B SaaS. They discuss AI model progress, ChatGPT running ads and Anthropic’s response, the rise of OpenClaw, and privacy and acquisition mechanics.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

M&A Patterns For 2M To 20M ARR SaaS

Einar's M&A guide shows most 2–20M ARR B2B SaaS deals are opaque and often bought by private equity.
He explains smaller deals trend asset purchases while deals above ~$5M often shift to stock transactions.

INSIGHT

AI Is Software Not a Category Killer

AI won't erase B2B SaaS; it's a new software capability rather than a category killer.
Rob Walling and Einar Vollset argue incumbents that deploy AI well will survive, while misplays create disruption for some firms.

ADVICE

Make Your SaaS Defensible Against Vibe Coding

Do make your product defensible because it's now much easier for small builders to 'vibe code' niche B2B solutions.
Tracy Osborn warns founders to add unique hooks since hobbyist-built tools can replicate basic features quickly.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Is AI really killing B2B SaaS, or is it just subscription software by another name?

In this Hot Take Tuesday, Rob Walling, Einar Vollset, and Tracy Osborn dig into the market panic around SaaS stocks, whether AI models are actually getting better, ChatGPT's move into advertising (and Anthropic's spicy response), and the explosion of OpenClaw. They also tackle QSBS and when SaaS acquisitions shift from asset to stock purchases.

Episode Sponsors:

This episode is brought to you by Mercury

Mercury is the banking solution I use across my businesses, from my personal single-member LLC to MicroConf and TinySeed.

Traditional banking forces you to duct-tape tools together and work around slow, clunky processes. Mercury gives me a clean dashboard that shows exactly where each business stands at a glance.

The interface is simple enough for daily banking and paying invoices, but powerful enough to handle multi-step approval workflows for large transfers.

There's a reason more than 300,000 entrepreneurs have made the switch. It's free to get started with no in-person visits and no minimum balance.

Apply online in minutes at mercury.com.

Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC-insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

If you’ve got a strong vision but no technical partner, you need more than a “vibe-coded” MVP, you need a real foundation.

That’s where Designli comes in. Their two-week SolutionLab Prototyping Sprint pairs you with a product owner, designer, and developer to turn your idea into a beautiful, clickable prototype you’ll be proud to show investors or early users.

Right now, Startups for the Rest of Us listeners get $3,800 off their sprint.

Get started at designli.co/fortherestofus

Topics we cover:

(3:52) – M&A guide for B2B SaaS founders
(6:35) – QSBS and asset vs. stock purchase thresholds
(9:25) – Is AI killing B2B SaaS?
(16:27) – Are AI models noticeably better than a year ago?
(17:27) – ChatGPT vs. Claude: real-world experiences
(26:17) – ChatGPT ads and Anthropic's Super Bowl response
(29:34) – The opportunity for SaaS founders in new ad networks
(32:29) – OpenClaw: hype or substance?

Links from the show:

MicroConf US April 12-14, 2026 · Portland, Oregon
Discretion Capital’s M&A Guide
TinySeed SaaS Institute
AI is Killing B2B SaaS by Namanyay Goel
OpenClaw is What Apple Intelligence Should Have Been by Jake Quist
Rob Walling @robwalling | X
Einar Vollset @einarvollset | X
Tracy Osborn (tracymakes) | Blue Sky

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you'd like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We'd love to hear from you!

Subscribe & Review: iTunes |Spotify