• Generative AI is upending SaaS business models and competitive dynamics.
• Innovation, not incumbency, is crucial for software companies to thrive in the post-AI era.
• RBC software analysts share the potential winners and losers from this disruption.

Artificial intelligence and AI agents are redrawing the competitive landscape of software and SaaS, and there will be winners and losers.

That's the conclusion of a new RBC Capital Markets report that warns incumbency alone is no guarantee of survival in the post-AI era. Innovation, not market share, will determine who crosses the AI "chasm."

"Incumbency is not enough for software companies to thrive in a post-AI world — innovation is paramount," RBC analysts wrote in the report. "If incumbency were the most important factor, Sears, Blockbuster, and Barnes and Noble would have been major beneficiaries of the Internet, but instead new companies came in their place."

The analysts scoured the software sector for companies that have the right positioning and right innovation roadmap around AI. They also identified other companies where "we're more uncertain."

The Winners

Microsoft topped RBC's bullish list. Wall Street still underestimates the software giant's AI push, which now touches every corner of its business, from Azure to Office, Teams, Dynamics, and LinkedIn. Its partnership with OpenAI, alongside a diversified in-house strategy, could accelerate growth over time.

Intuit was another standout. Long before ChatGPT, the tax and accounting software firm was investing in AI. RBC highlighted new AI agents in QuickBooks and TurboTax as evidence that Intuit is positioned to capture more market share in industries ripe for automation.

HubSpot also earned praise. The CRM challenger has rolled out ChatSpot, Breeze, and Breeze Intelligence, all tightly integrated with generative AI. With a culture of innovation and a unified tech stack, HubSpot could steadily gain share against larger rivals.

On the infrastructure side, MongoDB was singled out as a key building block for AI applications, particularly those dealing with unstructured data. RBC noted several AI-native startups already rely on it.

Pegasystems, meanwhile, is well-placed to benefit from AI agents that increase complexity in enterprise systems. Its Blueprint workflow builder, which lets companies modernize processes using natural language, could expand its market significantly.

The Losers

Not every incumbent is keeping pace, according to RBC. Salesforce's much-hyped Agentforce remains mostly in pilot projects, with limited signs of advanced AI functionality. RBC warned that the product delivers more automation than true "agentic AI," raising doubts about its long-term competitiveness.

ZoomInfo faces perhaps the most existential threat, the RBC analysts wrote. Its core product, selling contact information, risks being commoditized by large language models. RBC likens its AI pivot to the Yellow Pages' attempt to fend off Google, casting doubt on its staying power.

Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at [email protected].

• Kevin O'Leary shared five pieces of life advice with Business Insider.
• The "Shark Tank" investor warned against wasting money, getting distracted, and talking too much.
• "Mr. Wonderful" said new couples should talk money on the third date, and kids need to fly the nest.

Kevin O’Leary, the "Shark Tank" star who sold his software company to Mattel for $4.2 billion in 1999, shared some harsh advice on life and wealth in a recent interview with Business Insider.

Known as "Mr. Wonderful," O’Leary offered five nuggets of wisdom: Stop wasting money, focus your efforts, listen more than you speak, have the money talk on the third date, and ensure kids learn to fend for themselves.

Think before you spend

"Stop buying $7 coffees. Don't pay 40 bucks for lunch. Make it yourself," O'Leary said. "Ask yourself every time you're about to buy something: Do I really need this?"

"Look in your closet at all the clothes you don't wear," he added. "It's all crap you don't need, and that crap could have been earning you market returns of anywhere from 8% to 10% over your entire lifetime."

O'Leary said that, if historical returns continue, someone earning $70,000 a year who invests 15% of their monthly income in a diversified portfolio starting in their late 20s and continuing until 65 can expect to retire a millionaire.

Focus on 3 things you need to get done at work each day

Workers should ask themselves what three things they need to get done each day, and not allow anything to distract them from completing those tasks, O'Leary said.

“You’ll become very productive and a very valued employee,” he said. Filtering out the noise helps you to “avoid getting sucked down that vortex” and falling short of achieving your most important goals, he added.

O'Leary had some blunt advice for anyone who disagrees with the direction their bosses are taking the company in: “Get another job.”

Listen more, it's a 'superpower'

Many entrepreneurs have "huge egos" and "love to hear themselves talk," O'Leary said. But when they're talking, they're not listening to the market, their customers, their investors, or their employees, he said.

"You have to learn how to shut up," he said, describing listening as a "superpower."

"It's akin to having your ear to the rail and hearing the train coming down the track that's going to run you over," O'Leary said, adding, "To know to get off the track. That's what listening does."

Talk about money on the third date

New couples should talk about money early on, when both sides are clearly interested in one another but aren't yet blinded by love, O'Leary said.

"You get to a third date, after the second drink, bring up money," he said. "That's Mr. Wonderful's advice, and I'm always right."

He recommends couples sign a prenup before getting married as that "forces you to do due diligence" and find out if your partner is buying drugs, racking up credit-card debt, or comes from a bankrupt family.

"Nobody wants to deal with this stuff when you're in the euphoria of courtship," he said. "But it's the reason you're going to get divorced if you don't get it right."

Children need to leave the nest

O'Leary warned about the "curse of entitlement" that can bedevil the kids of wealthy parents.

He recalled his mother's words to him at his graduation: "The dead bird under the nest never learned how to fly." When he asked what that meant, she explained that she had supported him all the way through his education, but there would be "no more checks," and he would have to fend for himself.

O'Leary added that some rich kids were "screwed up" by being funded for too long, meaning they had "no reason to launch."

"The risk in their life has been removed. They've been guaranteed a free ride for the rest of their lives. They become lost in a sea of mediocrity. It's a disaster for them," he said.

O'Leary emulated his mother's approach with his two children, providing for them from birth through to the last day of their education. He recalled telling them, "Full ride, but after that, you'll become a dead bird if you don't figure it out."

• I tried pumpkin drinks from Dunkin', Dutch Bros, and Starbucks to see which chain does it best.
• Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte was good, but it wasn't my favorite drink.
• Dutch Bros' caramel and pumpkin drink blew the competition away.

Summer may not be over, but the fall-favorite Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte or "PSL" is set to return to the chain's menu next week.

Many consumers have looked forward to the limited release of the drink every year since its 2003 debut. Since then, many competing cafés and popular coffee chains have offered their own variations of it.

Though Starbucks is the "OG," I wanted to see how its PSL compared to pumpkin-flavored iced drinks at other big chains, Dutch Bros and Dunkin'. Here's how they stacked up.

Editor's Note: This piece was originally published on October 30, 2024, and most recently updated on August 22, 2025. Prices are subject to change, and some drinks may not currently be available.

First, I ordered from Dutch Bros.

There's nothing more satisfying to me than pulling into an empty Dutch Bros parking lot super early on a weekday.

The Oregon-based chain has more than 900 locations across the US, and it's drive-up/drive-thru only.

I usually just go through the drive-thru, but I ordered my caramel pumpkin-brûlée breve ahead of time on the app so I could park and walk up to the window. Since Dunkin' only offers an iced pumpkin beverage, that's how I ordered this one, too.

The 24-ounce, medium-sized drink cost me $7.59.

The added caramel gave the drink a boost of smooth flavor.

The seasonal drink had almost no trace of pumpkin-pie spices. However, I did taste a hint of nuttiness that I associate with actual pumpkins.

The smooth, sweet caramel added a lot to the drink. Mixed with the other flavors, it almost tasted smoky, which felt very autumnal to me.

Additionally, when the sweetened cold foam on top seeped into the drink, it added a lovely creamy texture.

Then, I headed to Starbucks.

I took a right out of the Dutch Bros' parking lot, crossed through one light, and swung right into Starbucks.

It's not necessarily surprising that the chain was so easy to find, considering there are tens of thousands of locations around the world.

I placed a pick-up order for my iced Pumpkin Spice Latte. The medium, 16-ounce drink cost me $7.21.

The PSL was full of flavor.

Starbucks' PSL has changed over the years — for example, in 2015 the chain began using a real pumpkin puree in its sauce.

The beverage I tasted seemed allspice-heavy and came topped with thick whipped cream and cinnamon.

Of the three drinks I tried, Starbucks had the darkest brew of coffee.

Although the flavor was nice and full, which paired well with the warming spices, the aftertaste seemed bitter.

Lastly, I grabbed the iced drink at Dunkin'.

Dunkin' has introduced a rotating cast of seasonal drinks and doughnuts to its fall lineup over the last 10 or so years.

Although you can find the Massachusetts-based chain on street corners across the East Coast, it's a little less common in my Midwest city. Luckily, there's a drive-thru-only Dunkin' not too far from me.

I placed my order on the app, and my pumpkin-spice iced signature latte was ready as soon as I pulled up to the window.

The medium, 24-ounce drink came to $6.01, making it the best value on this list.

Dunkin’s pumpkin latte tasted more like chai to me.

I don't have Dunkin' that often, so I'm not sure if this is standard, but the espresso shot was pretty weak. It tasted more like a chai latte to me.

The pumpkin-spice syrup was also super sweet, and the drink wasn't as creamy as the other two.

One of the saving graces was the big pile of whipped cream on top. It was thick and added a buttery flavor to the beverage.

For me, Dutch Bros' pumpkin drink dethroned Starbucks' PSL.

Dutch Bros' sweet, creamy caramel pumpkin-brûlée breve was the winner for me. Even though the seasonal drink didn't taste like traditional pumpkin spice, I thought it had a unique, autumnal vibe.

Although I didn't dislike Starbucks' PSL, it was a little too bitter for me — especially with the strong mulling spices.

Dunkin's drink tasted more like an overly sweet chai latte, so I probably wouldn't order it again.

The state of Louisiana is suing online gaming platform Roblox, alleging that it fails to adequately protect its majority underage user base from online predators. In the state’s lawsuit, they allege that Roblox is failing to "implement basic safety controls" such as biometric age verification upon account creation or checking that parental consent has been given to open an account.

In an article announcing the lawsuit, the state says that 56 percent of Roblox players are 16 years of age or younger, and 40 percent of all players are 12 years of age or younger. "Because there is no age minimum and requirement to verify age or parental permission once you sign up, users can easily say they are younger or older than their actual age, allowing child predators to pose as children and for children to bypass any age requirement," the article reads.

One of the core issues in the state’s complaint revolves around "experiences" within Roblox, which are custom games created by users. There are over 6.4 million experiences on the platform, and the state’s suit points out specific ones it finds particularly troubling such as “Escape to Epstein Island,” “Diddy Party” and “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe.”

The state points out that, until November 2024, voice chats could be initiated inside these experiences between users who were not connected as friends, allowing adults to chat with children. While this was changed to disallow adults from chatting with users under 13 in these experiences, the state points out that, since creating an account posing as a minor is quite easy, the platform is still not doing enough to protect users within the experiences.

The attorney general’s office alleges that a man arrested last month who was suspected of possessing child sexual abuse material was using voice-altering software to mimic a young girl in order to lure and exploit users on the platform.

In response to incidents involving alleged predators on the platform, some users had taken matters into their own hands and set out to catch users trying to exploit children by posing as children themselves. One popular user named "Schlep" was basically running To Catch a Predator within Roblox and was controversially banned from the platform this month. Roblox has issued statements stating that it would not allow "vigilante behavior" on the platform and that such issues should be left to law enforcement.

In a statement to Variety, a Roblox spokesperson said "While no system is perfect, Roblox has implemented rigorous technology and enforcement safeguards, including restrictions on sharing personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing. The safety of our community is a top priority."

The state is seeking permanent injunctive relief against Roblox, civil penalties and actual damages, though no specifics on damages have been shared. Louisiana is the first state to file suit, though Florida may follow.

Databases used by US federal courts for sharing and managing case documents have been hacked. Politico first reported on the hack last week on August 6; today, an investigation from The New York Times states that Russia is suspected to be involved in the attack. The Administrative Office of the US Courts initially identified the severity of the cyberattack in July, although the extent of the breach by "persistent and sophisticated cyber threat actors" has not been disclosed and may still not be known by national officials.

Both the Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) and PACER systems have been impacted by the attack. CM/ECF is used by legal professionals and courts to store documents, while PACER grants the public limited access to those same files. Anonymous officials told Politico that chief judges for federal courts in the 8th Circuit were briefed on the attack, but were unable to confirm what agency provided the briefing. The 8th Circuit includes Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.

Politico's original report said the hack may have "compromised the identities of confidential informants involved in criminal cases at multiple federal district courts." The Times coverage added that some of the searches by the intruders "included midlevel criminal cases in the New York City area and several other jurisdictions, with some cases involving people with Russian and Eastern European surnames." However, there have been no additional details revealed about what entity is behind the attack, whether a branch of Russian intelligence may have been involved, or what evidence the investigators have discovered tying the hack to Russia.

The isn't the only time CM/ECF has been a hacking target. The courts introduced new protections for the system in 2021 in response to a cyberattack; a similar announcement arrived on August 7. At this time, the courts have been ordered to move files for cases that may have been of interest off the compromised systems, although some districts have ordered even more limited use of CM/ECF or PACER as a preventive measure.