Nathaniel Dean

For what it's worth, one of the most effective channels (in-person events) is one of the few things that AI cannot do.

The effectiveness of email has already reduced significantly because of automation. With AI, the cost of high-quality outreach goes to zero, and the effectiveness will also decrease more precipitously. We're basically losing cold outreach email as a channel.

Interesting side note: CRM is a frequent topic of conversation because we interact with it, ERP is a larger market with worse software. HCM and Supply Chain are also large with mediocre players.

This is all largely true but also applies only to SMBs, a market that Salesforce, Oracle, et al mostly abandoned years ago. The new AI-first CRMs are not ready for true enterprise scale and nobody is going to vibe code CRMs in an environment where a data leak could cost a billion dollars in market cap. We’re going to see vibe coded projects of all levels have issues with compliance, governance, scalability, and security. None of those have truly been addressed at the enterprise level.

Jared R. does acquiring vs innovating matter or just the outcome?

Salesforce has never lost.