Tom Drummond, founder and managing director at Heavybit Industries, dissects the seismic shift from graphical interfaces to conversational AI—and why most SaaS companies are thinking about it wrong. This isn't about adding chatbots to legacy products. It's about fundamentally rethinking what software means when voice becomes the primary interaction mode and agents become your customers. Drummond reveals why rapid execution trumps defensibility, how API-first companies will dominate the agent economy, and why trust—not technology—remains the ultimate bottleneck.Key Takeaways:1. Large Language Models Are Creating the Biggest Interface Shift Since the GUIThe fundamental breakthrough isn't AI intelligence—it's natural language interpretation that frees computing from screensThis democratizes access beyond anything the mobile revolution achieved, making software ubiquitous without requiring visual interfacesThe transition will be generational: today's builders remain skeptical while the next generation will trust AI as naturally as we trust Wikipedia2. Visual Interfaces Won't Disappear—They'll Become Trust MechanismsGUIs will shift from primary interaction mode to verification and confidence layer for voice-driven commandsHumans need visual confirmation not because they're old-fashioned, but because they require ownership and accountabilityThe winning pattern: conversational interfaces for input, visual interfaces for trust and evidence3. Software Must Do More When Friction DisappearsIf you previously delivered value by creating forms to fill out, you've been selling toil—not solutionsWhen a 22-second phone call replaces a 10-minute form, your platform value collapses unless you deliver actual outcomesThe new bar: integrate across systems, automate end-to-end workflows, and eliminate entire categories of work4. Momentum Is the Only Moat That Matters at Early StageDefensibility discussions are premature when the entire market is being redefined and expectations resetInvestors have shifted to momentum-based evaluation even at seed stage—growth velocity trumps articulated competitive advantagesExecute aggressively with AI internally before worrying about competitive positioning: ship faster, operate leaner, reimagine everythingLightning Round Insights:Learning accelerator: Experiential over theoretical—don't read about programming, program; don't study sales, sellCareer wisdom: Agency and aggressive opportunity capture matter more than perfect strategy in high-change environmentsDaily AI tool: Continue (Heavybit portfolio company)—enables rapid internal tool development with model-agnostic approach and custom data sourcesChapters:00:00 - Introduction and Heavybit's Investment Thesis04:33 - The Language Model Revolution: From Screens to Voice12:13 - Rethinking Product Design: Phone Numbers Over Websites21:36 - Key Challenges: Trust, Pricing, and Agent Distribution30:04 - Differentiation Strategy: Momentum Over Moats36:56 - Why Switching Costs Still Matter for Sustainable Growth40:04 - Lightning Round and Closing ThoughtsVisit our website - https://saassessions.com/Connect with me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunilneurgaonkar/

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