Software Is Collapsing in Four Brutal Stages

Published 2026-05-02 01-54

Summary

Software is collapsing in stages: coding deskilled, SaaS thinning out, agents arriving, and apps fading once agents deliver the result directly.

The story

AI-ish tells: too-tidy stage rhythm; abstract labels; category-list padding; generic “shift” wording; promo voice at the end.

🟢 The Extinction of Software

I keep seeing the same pattern: software is folding in on itself. Not in one bang. More like levels in a strange little game.

*Stage one: coding is getting deskilled.* Copilot, Cursor, and Claude Code moved coders from typing every line to saying what they want and checking the machine’s homework. Coders are becoming intent-specifiers. Annoying, but accurate.

*Stage two: the SaaS extinction event.* If someone can spin up a custom tool in an afternoon, why pay monthly for the generic version? The old moat, “software is hard to build,” is shrinking fast. The exposed tools are mid-tier and generic: project management apps, form builders, dashboards, lightweight CRMs. Survivors have strong networks, unique data, or rules making switching painful.

*Stage three: agents are showing up.* OpenAI Operator, Perplexity Assistant, Claude Computer Use. We’re moving from “a tool you operate” to “an agent you instruct.” Less steering wheel, more weird intern with the keys. Yay?

*Stage four is the spicy one.* If an agent finishes the task, why use the app built to help a human? Software answered, “how do I do this?” Agents change the question. Instead of opening a spreadsheet, you tell an agent to track expenses and flag weird stuff. The interface fades. The result stays.

For founders and CTOs: is your product the result people want, or the hallway to it?

Longer version, “The Extinction of Software,” is at clearsay.net. Free GitHub thing: AgentAutoFlow, for some grunt work. Come poke at it.

For more from The Extinction of Software, visit
https://clearsay.net/the-extinction-of-software/.

As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, private keys, feelings, threats, and shouts of rage!

Based on https://clearsay.net/the-extinction-of-software/