Yeah, nah. The enterprise software market is nowhere near close to being upended by AI, and Gartner has their tendrils deeply wrapped inside of it. Small companies like Netlify which are barely in use by this market are not a canary in the coal mine.

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toddmorey 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

His point was not that the enterprise software market would be upended immediately by AI, but rather that the pay-to-play scam of analyst-powered purchasing advice is near the end of its lifecycle.

If you've ever been part of the process, you learn quick that it's one analyst who works whatever beat your company operates in who has an extremely poor understanding of your product, the market, or where it's headed. But they'll have a new catchphrase they've dreamed up and so it's just a game of saying "yeah, sure, we do that" and then paying money to be mentioned.

I still recommend to companies that they should endeavor to be put into a Gardener Magic quadrant because it can be transformative for enterprise sales pipeline. But I always feel bad for the purchasing decision makers as non of this is good data. I agree with swyx that automated deep research will phase this whole model out, which will be a net win for both companies and customers.

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phillipcarter 2 days ago | parent [-]

I wouldn’t bet on automated deep research until they figure out a business model that gives people a throat to choke. Enterprise software is a world where it’s more important to have another human you can blame for when you fuck things up than actually making a good decision. What incentive is there for an exec to say, “well I ran a deep research and it seemed good enough to me” when their boss demands an answer as to why $VENDOR was a bad choice?

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toddmorey 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I hear you, but the fellah in the org who says "Don't blame me ,I made this purchasing decision because they paid the most to an analyst firm" is definitely the neck I want to choke.

	▲	phillipcarter 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Sure. But Gartner is Gartner. They are a trusted brand and you can’t “hold them wrong”. And they also do a great job of being pulled into a meeting with the throat-choker to gaslight them into being fine with the decision. Deep Research doesn’t do this, and even if it could today, human trust systems take a very long time to build.

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jongjong 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Makes sense. The anthem of enterprise is "Nobody ever got fired for choosing IBM."

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crinkly 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Yeah that. The company I work for has an annual revenue of about 6x the valuation of Netlify. We're busy sucking Gartner off at every possible corner and learning it's a mistake over and over again. Everyone we know is as well.

Some of the startup industry has no idea how enterprise is at all. There aren't even any trendy CEO/CTO here. It's all suits.

Not all things are sexy.

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stego-tech 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I will never trust Gartner for recommendations on anything. Either your product solve a problem we presently have or we don’t need it.

It’s really just the suits relying on it as a crutch in lieu of actually hiring competent Engineers and Architects and then listening to them. As those folks cycle out with their millions in cash to retire somewhere, I’m hoping us younger folks won’t tolerate such consultant drivel.

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samdixon 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

What do they use it for?

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phillipcarter 2 days ago | parent [-]

Purchasing decisions. If Gartner doesn’t claim you’re a Leader, then a massive chunk of your addressable market is not unlockable for you. This may be fine for now, but eventually when your investors demand accelerated revenue curves (and you’re not an AI coding tool), then you’ll be talking to Gartner and praying they place you high. Full stop.

Separately, they offer consulting with their analysts. A lot of these consultants are quite knowledgeable. They also are usually there to help a leader make a purchasing decision.

	▲	henrikschroder 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		> and praying they place you high. If you remove an 'r', there's the other way you can get placed high.