If SaaS Is Dead, Linear Didn't Get the Memo
AI and I1 Huhti

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

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