OPERATORS artwork

Why This CEO Is Building His Own SaaS Killer: Amit RG (RichPanel)

OPERATORS · with Amit RG · March 25, 2026 · 70 min

Summary

Amit RG, CEO of RichPanel, argues that the traditional SaaS model is a

Key takeaways

Themes

ai disruptionbusiness model innovationsaas transformation

Topics covered

ai agentsai in ecommercecustomer service automationorganizational adaptationsaas business modelssoftware engineering automation

Episode description

What happens when the founder of a software company admits his own product is a sinking ship — and doubles down anyway? Sean Frank (CEO, Ridge) and Matt Bertulli (CEO, Pela Case & Lomi) sit down with Amit RG (CEO, RichPanel) for a conversation about AI agents, the death of traditional SaaS, and what it means for ecommerce operators building teams right now. Amit doesn’t sugarcoat it. He’s walked through the five stages of grief about his own business, come out the other side, and is now betting that moving faster than the disruption is the only play. The three dig into Dario’s AI phases and what they mean for your tech stack, why customer service reps will be the first wave of AI-driven displacement, and how Sean frames every job — from Philippines call centers to legal firms — as a token problem waiting to be solved cheaper. They debate token-based pricing versus per-ticket models, explore what happens to platforms like Klaviyo in an agent-to-agent economy, and make the case that consumer brands may be the last ones standing while SaaS and services absorb the first hit. Amit closes with RichPanel’s new returns portal, already live with 31 brands, and Sean puts $10,000 on the line in a charity bet. Powered By Fulfil https://bit.ly/3pAp2vuNorthbeam https://www.northbeam.io/Saras Analytics https://bit.ly/9OP-YtdescAftersell<a href=&

Related episodes

Frequently asked about this episode

What does this episode say about ai disruption?
AI will displace 50% of software engineers, lawyers, and financial
What does this episode say about business model innovation?
Customer service reps will largely be replaced by AI by the end of the
What does this episode say about saas transformation?
Founders must deeply understand and engage with AI to survive;
What does this episode say about ai disruption?
Traditional SaaS business models with long integration cycles are
What does this episode say about ai disruption?
Develop an 'agent economy' mindset, leveraging AI for exponential

Listen