The frontier models keep getting better. The market is buying something cheaper.
The frontier models keep getting better. The market is buying something cheaper.
Martin Casado sits on more than 20 boards. Last week one of those companies told him it is moving from the frontier models to GLM. The VCs on This Week in Startups say their startups are going open source. Zapier audited the agents its users run: nine in ten were mostly running rules. Rebuilding them with rules where rules work cut cost 75% and made the workflows more reliable.
The frontier still matters for the hard problems. Most of the work isn't hard, and the spending is starting to follow that.
Sources: Martin Casado (a16z) and Ali Ghodsi (Databricks), a16z, "Databricks CEO on AI Pacing, Cyber Risk, and the Enterprise," Sep 18, 2026. Dave McClure (Practical Venture Capital), This Week in Startups, "VCs Would Bet on Open-Source AI Over OpenAI and Anthropic | E2341," Sep 23, 2026. Ryan Roccon (Zapier), CFO Thought Leader, "2016: Building the Operating System for Agentic Automation," Sep 21, 2026. Joe Patrice and Kathryn Rubino (Above the Law), Above the Law: Thinking Like a Lawyer, "Weil Get You And... Then Maybe You'll Go To Cravath," Sep 23, 2026. Kipp Bodnar (HubSpot), CMO Confidential, "Why Judgement & Taste are Key Advantages in an AI World," Sep 22, 2026.