The End of Software as We Know It
From pre-made software to AI-created solutions — a revolution in real time
At a dinner recently, a visitor from China remarked that AI applications are booming there — China might even be overtaking the West. I disagreed.
What I’ve observed over the past two months is something different: most Chinese AI apps are simply “wrapper” applications—thin interfaces layered on top of large language models. These lack true innovation or defensibility and are destined to struggle. This illustrates a deeper shift: AI has itself become the new programming layer, making traditional software roles and approaches increasingly obsolete.
This challenge with AI wrapper apps isn’t exclusive to China; it’s part of a wider transformation affecting enterprise software across industries and geographies.
The Fall of the Giants
SAP (ERP) and Salesforce (CRM) are two classic pillars of enterprise software. Yet both stocks have fallen sharply this year—not because they rejected AI, but because AI is redefining what software must be. The core logic of enterprise software is being transformed, upending the old model and requiring a different response.
I once helped implement SAP at a company. The system was expensive and attempted to cover every business process, but no pre-built system can fit every company’s unique needs.
It’s like wanting chopsticks, but getting a full banquet—and being charged for it. Worse, the banquet lacks chopsticks, so you’ll need to bring your own.
A Small Experiment
Recently, my small business needed a basic workflow: assign tasks and send daily email reminders. Nothing fancy.
I searched for solutions, only to be pointed toward ERP or CRM systems. Really? For task reminders?
Then I asked AI. Since we use Microsoft 365, AI helped design a Power Automate workflow connecting Planner and Outlook. Now, tasks run smoothly—no more delays.
Previously, this would have required hiring a programmer or buying a SaaS solution. Now? No extra costs. No frustration.
I wondered if I was overreacting. At dinner, a Singapore government manager was surprised: “You did this yourself?”
The Real Revolution
This small case shows the real revolution: software is moving from pre-made products to AI-driven, tailored solution creation. It’s not about adopting AI wrappers, but about AI fundamentally altering how software is conceived and used.
When I need a digital solution — for work or personal matters — I no longer search for apps or software packages. I collaborate with AI to create something immediately usable, entirely tailored to my needs. You might call it “software” or an “app,” but it’s fundamentally different. It’s built for one purpose: mine.
This is the underlying reason SAP and Salesforce stocks are dropping: businesses no longer need rigid, expensive, one-size-fits-all platforms when they can use AI to create instant, bespoke software solutions.
I’ve used these enterprise platforms. They’re not just expensive — their rigidity is staggering. Business innovation gets strangled by programmers’ if-else statements. Companies pay enormous fees, then hire teams just to manage the software.
The new wave of Chinese AI “wrapper apps” follows the same outdated SaaS logic. Their quick obsolescence isn’t true innovation—it underscores why only truly AI-driven, customised solutions will thrive going forward.
What Comes Next
For programmers, this shift raises the bar. The future may belong to systems architects — people who understand how to orchestrate AI capabilities — rather than those who write conventional code.
As the Chinese rock musician Cui Jian once sang: “It’s not that I don’t understand — the world is just changing too fast.”
不是我不明白，这世界变化快。