Thibaut

SaaS founder. Building a revenue protection tool.
Writing about GTM, distribution and SaaS finance.
AI took my last job, let's see about this one 👀

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Most founders assume AI makes the technical co-founder less important.

91% of YC S26 companies disagree.

Full breakdown in this article.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

https://t.co/bvLW6iMnPP

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Is AI making you build faster

or just making you feel like you're building faster?

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

The SaaS tools that win in 2026 aren't selling software.

They're selling expertise the customer doesn't have time to build themselves.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

As a founder

What's the hardest thing about building in public?

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

You just got your first paying customer.

You can only do one thing next:

-Talk to them immediately
-Find 10 more like them
-Build the next feature they asked for
-Write a case study

What are you doing?

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@TravelerOfCode yes exactly

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Vibe coding your SaaS is fine.

Vibe coding your pricing is how you go broke.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@tibo_maker Woww that's crazy value for free

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

As a founder

What's the one thing you know you should do

but keep avoiding?

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Name a decision that changed your life as a founder.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@florian_belz framework

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Most SaaS founders think distribution is something you do after building.

It's the only thing that matters before.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Find a product already making money that could have an application in an industry or niche I know something about. Recreate it and adapt the marketing copy to that industry. Distribute it by reaching out directly to customers in that space with a clear value proposition.

And then print those first dollars.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

Also there is a clear shift in what customers are looking for in SaaS tools.

3-4 years ago, you would have built a tool that helps SEO experts with analytics and keyword analysis, so they could create and implement SEO strategies.

Now, customers want the SaaS to be the "SEO expert." What they are buying isn't the technical tool, it's the industry expertise behind it. Since they aren't SEO experts themselves, they can't really replace you or recreate your product.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@TheGeorgePu Well it's like the gold rush. Everyone is doing the same thing because that's where they think the gold is.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@oliverbrocato Yeah definitely. That's why we need to learn to fail. Every failure will teach you so much more than the time you spend waiting for the perfect moment.

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@1Umairshaikh The main point has never been the product.

It was always knowing how to distribute and sell

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@mathiaschpl Wooowww that's crazy congrats !

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@waelnassaf Yes but these users are probably the hardest one to find ahah

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@aryanlabde It was kind of the same thing before vibecoding. The first step is always to talk to potential customers, identify needs, and quantify how much they suffer from these needs.

But it's also pretty hard to do when you don't already have a proper network in the industry

[Thibaut @thibautgrb]

@TTrimoreau Choose the wrong type of cofounder