Business of Apps: What SaaS Founders Are Actually Doing in 2026 — Pivot Patterns

Business of Apps·medium signal

Business of Apps surveyed SaaS founders and found consistent pivot patterns: moving to usage-based pricing first, then layering AI features to increase usage, then seeking to build proprietary data moats from accumulated usage patterns. Founders not pivoting are consolidating by killing low-usage features (a reversal of the 'add more features' growth loop). The article specifically notes that the founders surviving are those treating AI not as a feature but as a replacement for the engineering headcount that built features.