06-reference

stratechery interview benedict evans ai software

Wed Feb 04 2026 19:00:00 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time) ·reference ·source: Stratechery ·by Ben Thompson
aisoftware-economicssaasbenedict-evansopenaillm

Interview: Benedict Evans About AI and Software

Thompson interviews Benedict Evans, independent tech analyst and former Andreessen Horowitz partner, about the crisis facing software companies, the future of the corporation in an AI era, OpenAI’s trajectory, and the difficulty of defining the LLM paradigm.

The interview follows Thompson’s “Microsoft and Software Survival” article from earlier in the week, extending the discussion about what happens to the SaaS ecosystem when the cost of writing code approaches zero. Evans brings his characteristically broad historical framing — drawing parallels to previous technology transitions to contextualize the current moment.

Key threads likely covered: whether AI-written code commoditizes software or strengthens incumbents, how the corporate structure itself may need to adapt, OpenAI’s positioning as both platform and application company, and the challenge of finding the right mental model for LLMs (neither search engine, nor database, nor traditional software).

RDCO Mapping

Evans’ independent analyst model is worth noting as a reference point for RDCO’s own positioning. The broader SaaS disruption thesis connects to our thinking about where consulting/services value persists when code becomes cheap.