AI upends the software ecosystem

Watch on YouTube ↗  |  February 09, 2026 at 19:24  |  5:34  |  CNBC
Speakers
Ali Ghodsi — CEO, Databricks — CEO Databricks
Deirdre Bosa — Anchor, CNBC — CNBC anchor, tech reporter

Summary

  • Databricks has raised new funding (Series L), making it the 4th largest private US company, driven by the insight that 80% of new databases on their platform are now built by AI agents, not humans.
  • CEO Ali Ghodsi predicts a massive explosion in software and database volume because AI agents are now writing code; however, the "interface moat" (how hard software is to learn) is evaporating.
  • A clear bifurcation is emerging in the software sector: "System of Record" companies with deep data moats (like SAP) are safe, while smaller, interface-heavy SaaS companies are highly vulnerable to disruption.
Trade Ideas
Ali Ghodsi CEO, Databricks 2:47
Despite the AI disruption narrative, legacy giants like SAP are insulated. SAP possesses a "Data Moat." They are the "system of record" for global enterprises. It is incredibly difficult to replace them because they hold the critical operational data. There is no viable alternative to rip and replace their infrastructure, and they are successfully integrating AI into their existing stack. Ghodsi asks rhetorically, "What would you replace SAP with?" noting there is no real alternative. Slower execution on AI integration compared to agile startups.
SAP
Ali Ghodsi CEO, Databricks
Databricks is delaying its IPO despite being free cash flow positive. The company prefers private capitalization to weather potential public market volatility (fearing a repeat of 2022). They want to invest in long-term R&D (5-10 years) without the quarterly pressure to cut costs or layoff staff if the stock drops. Raised Series L funding specifically to stay private longer. Prolonged delay could fatigue early employees or investors seeking liquidity.
IPO
Ali Ghodsi CEO, Databricks
AI agents and "vibe coding" are taking over software creation. 80% of Databricks' new databases are created by AI, not humans. AI agents write software faster than humans. Every piece of software needs a database to store information. Therefore, the volume, usage, and optimization of databases will increase significantly over the next few years. Databricks internal data shows a massive spike in AI-generated database creation. The optimization must shift from catering to human administrators to catering to AI agents; legacy databases that cannot adapt to "agent-native" interaction may fail.
SKYY
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This CNBC video, published February 09, 2026, features Ali Ghodsi discussing SAP, IPO, SKYY. 3 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.

Speakers: Ali Ghodsi  · Tickers: SAP, IPO, SKYY