How will AI, SEO, and market shifts change SaaS next year?

In this solo episode, Rob Walling revisits his predictions for 2025, what he got right, what he totally missed and shares nine new predictions for 2026. He reflects on trends shaping bootstrapped SaaS, from the rise of AI-first startups to the challenges facing horizontal SaaS founders.

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Topics we cover:

(1:09) – Lessons from common SaaS plateaus and the Core Four framework
(4:39) – Rating his 2025 predictions: what came true (and what didn’t)
(12:46) – Prediction #1: Horizontal SaaS will face major headwinds
(15:56) – Prediction #2: Overreliance on SEO will hurt SaaS founders
(16:26) – Prediction #3: Top brands will dominate as AI narrows discovery
(21:04) – Prediction #4: The AI VC bubble won’t burst in 2026
(21:47) – Prediction #5: Open source AI models will double in usage
(22:28) – Prediction #6: A major no code platform will struggle or shut down
(23:33) – Prediction #7: M&A for small SaaS startups will accelerate
(24:31) – Prediction #8: Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high
(25:31) – Prediction #9: Stripe will not go public (again)
(26:26) – Reflections on MicroConf and TinySeed milestones

Links from the Show:

MicroConf US – Portland, April 2026
Rob Walling YouTube Channel
Apply to TinySeed
TinySeed Portfolio
The SaaS Playbook by Rob Walling

If you have questions about starting or scaling a software business that you’d like for us to cover, please submit your question for an upcoming episode. We’d love to hear from you!

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Episode 813 | SaaS Predictions for 2026 (+ Reflections on 2025)

Startups For the Rest of Us