Build vs Buy

High-performance data tools used to mean an enterprise SaaS contract. That math changed. Here's what it costs to own the stack instead of renting it.

You describe the workflow, an AI builder generates the app, and a five-figure dev backlog item ships in an afternoon. Here is the actual process.

AI copilots and agents let one developer maintain what used to need a squad. That changes the build-versus-buy math for internal tools.

Teams that once shrugged at a 400MB idle Slack process are now rewriting internal tools in Swift and Rust. Here is the real comparison behind the shift.

Per-seat and per-conversation pricing on agent platforms adds up fast. Open orchestration frameworks plus MCP now let you build the same workflows and own them outright.