If SaaS Is Dead, Linear Didn't Get the Memo

Founded in 2019, Linear is the rare company started pre-ChatGPT to have successfully reinvented itself as an agent-native business.

On this episode of AI & I, Dan Shipper sat down with Karri Saarinen, cofounder and CEO of the product management tool, to discuss building a platform where humans and agents develop software together—and why the "SaaSpocalypse" isn’t coming for all SaaS companies.

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Timestamps:

0:00 Introduction

2:00 Why Linear waited to ship AI features instead of rushing to chatbots

5:06 Linear's agent platform and becoming the system that guides AI agents

7:42 Why "SaaS is dead" is a simplistic narrative

12:18 How Linear adopted AI coding tools

17:45 AI's impact on product building workflows—speed versus thoughtfulness

22:18 The value of conceptual work and thinking before shipping

29:30 How AI is reshaping Linear's product strategy

37:18 Demo: Linear's agent skills, shared context, and code review workflow

47:48 The future of product development and the enduring role of human judgment