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Vista CEO Smith Talks AI Strategy and Enterprise Software

  • Editor
  • Feb 15
  • 2 min read

In Brief: Hugh MacArthur, Chairman of Global Private Equity at Bain & Company, interviewed Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman & CEO of Vista Equity Partners, at iConnections' Global Alts Miami 2025. The fireside chat marked Vista's 25th anniversary and covered enterprise software evolution, AI integration, and market outlook. Smith suggests enterprise AI needs are vastly different from consumer applications, requiring less compute power but more focused implementation.


Key Insights:

  • Technology Evolution: AI follows the same pattern as previous tech revolutions - silicon providers benefit first, then infrastructure providers, and finally software companies capture the most value

  • Enterprise vs Consumer: Enterprise AI needs are more focused and require less compute power than consumer applications

  • Data Sovereignty: Companies must maintain control over their workflows and data to maximize AI value capture

  • Infrastructure Reality: Current AI infrastructure may be overbuilt relative to actual enterprise needs

  • Pricing Transformation: Industry shifting from seat-based to value-based pricing models for AI-enabled software


Big Picture Drivers:

  • Enterprise Evolution: Software remains the most productive business tool of the last 50 years, with AI extending this trend

  • AI Infrastructure: Current compute infrastructure may be overbuilt for actual enterprise needs

  • Business Model Shift: Industry moving from seat-based pricing to value-based models for AI-enabled software

  • Market Dynamics: Strategic buyers showing renewed interest in software acquisitions, particularly for AI capabilities


By The Numbers:

  • Portfolio Scale: Vista currently manages 89 software companies

  • Track Record: Completed over 640 transactions in 25 years

  • AI Performance: One portfolio company achieved 90% customer service call deflection with higher satisfaction rates


Memorable Quotes:

  • "Enterprise software is the most productive tool that's been introduced in our business economy in the last 50 years and likely will be for the next 50." - Robert F. Smith

  • "Your likely best use of your next dollar is to buy more software to make your people more productive." - Robert F. Smith


The Wrap: Smith's insights reveal a significant shift in enterprise software, where AI integration is forcing fundamental changes in how companies develop products, serve customers, and price their offerings. His perspective suggests we're entering a new era where value capture will increasingly depend on AI capabilities, though possibly with more modest infrastructure needs than currently anticipated.


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