podcast

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

01.04.2026
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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:
Introduction 
Why Linear waited to ship AI features instead of rushing to chatbots 
Linear's agent platform and becoming the system that guides AI agents 
Why "SaaS is dead" is a simplistic narrative 
How Linear adopted AI coding tools
AI's impact on product building workflows—speed versus thoughtfulness 
The value of conceptual work and thinking before shipping 
How AI is reshaping Linear's product strategy  
Demo: Linear's agent skills, shared context, and code review workflow 
The future of product development and the enduring role of human judgment