February 19, 2026· 49 min

Jared Sleeper on Which Software Companies Will Survive the "SaaSpocalypse"

Oral Indicators

Agonistic31%
basically, clearly, absolutely
Engagement63%
i'm, us, we'll
Memory Aids100%
now, listen, like
Repetition100%
like (142x), software (105x), it's (85x)
Parallelism81%
And I'm Lisa Mateo...., And I'm Tracy Alloway...., So you can you can make all th...
Sound Patterns100%
110 question(s), alliteration: "when work", alliteration: "context changes"
Formulaic Phrases4%
i mean, the thing is

Literate Indicators

Hedging8%
maybe, could, might
Passive Voice4%
be generated, is based, be applied
Abstract Nouns19%
management, business, vacation
Subordination6%
because, since, therefore
Sentence Length30%
Avg: 12.4 words/sentence
Word Complexity47%
management, business, empower
Academic Markers0%
Impersonal Style37%
658 personal pronouns found
Descriptive Style92%
constantly, exactly, really

Description

The start of the year has been an absolutely brutal one for software companies. There’s a big fear that the rise of AI and advanced coding models will pull the rug out from this industry. But even before these AI fears, software companies were seeing their growth slow. So how does the business actually work? And more importantly, what types of companies will actually survive the “SaaSpocalypse”? (Or maybe “the CaSaaStrophe”?) On this episode, we speak with Jared Sleeper, a longtime software investor who is now a partner at Avenir. We talk about the history of software, the evolution of business models, and where the threat is most acute. He also talks about why investors are so nervous, and their fears that in the long term many of these companies will be worth zero, while in the short term, they’re not even making much money on a GAAP basis. Read more: Private Software Companies Release Earnings Early to Calm AI Nerves Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.