Source: https://stripe.com/en-ca/annual-updates/2024

Their emphasis on the power of Vertical SaaS is all interesting because it contrasts with other commentary I have read about competing in the AI world.

This anecdote really hit home (emphasis mine):

a platform like Slice, dedicated specifically to the needs of pizzerias, new businesses can get a logo, website, payment system, ordering system, marketing toolkit, and branded boxes—basically everything else they need to operate their pizza business (except an oven and the perfect sauce). They can remain independent while still benefiting from a franchisee’s economies of scale.

They also mention that labelling startups as LLM-wrappers are "missing the point" (again emphasis mine)

The O ring model in economics shows that in a process with interdependent tasks, the overall output or productivity is limited by the least effective component, [...]. In a similar vein, we see these new industry specific AI tools as ensuring that individual industries can properly realize the economic impact of LLMs, and that the contextual, data, and workflow integration will prove enduringly valuable