a16z New Media · 2026-04-03 · 62d

AI's Impact on SaaS: Winners, Losers, and the Enterprise Tech Spending Reallocation

Enterprise software companies face mixed outcomes as AI disruption reshapes tech spending, with some incumbents like HubSpot and Figma thriving while others struggle. Consumer AI adoption remains nascent at 3% household penetration but is growing rapidly, particularly among younger demographics. Meanwhile, streaming platforms are consolidating around ad-supported tiers as pricing pressures mount.

14 metrics· Cited 0× in the knowledge base ·Open source ↗

Metrics in this report

CIO Budget Reduction Expectation

71%

of respondents

Systems Integrators expected to face greatest budget cuts

Consumer AI High Spenders

40%

of paying households

Paying more than $20/month for AI

Consumer AI Household Penetration

3%

of households

Paying subscribers to AI services

Consumer AI Payment Growth

40%

year-over-year

Households making AI payments from Feb 2024 to Feb 2025

Disney+ Ad-Tier Subscriber Growth

37 to 45%

of subscriber base

Year-over-year change

Enterprise AI Budget Allocation

60%

of panel

Software spenders allocating 5%+ of tech budgets to AI

Enterprise AI Budget Allocation - YoY Change

12 to 60%

year-over-year

Percentage of panel allocating 5%+ to AI

Flatbed Truck Rejection Rate

49%

of contracts

Current rejection rate vs early-2022 pandemic baseline

Freight Tender Rejection Rate

5-8 to 15%

national outbound index

Year-over-year change

Gen-Z AI Household Penetration

5%

of households

Paying for AI services among Gen-Z

Gen-Z AI Spending Growth

54%

median increase

Year-over-year median AI spending

Intermodal Rate Change

10%

spike in March

After months of flat trading

Netflix Ad-Tier Subscriber Growth

32 to 40%

of subscriber base

Year-over-year change

Prime Video Ad-Tier Adoption

86%

of subscriber base

Ad-supported tier subscribers