S7E14 - Scaling SaaS in 2026: AI Adoption, Pricing Shifts & Efficient Growth with Romy Kotler - de Groot

Nov 20, 2025

Join Romy de Groot, Chief of Staff at Atlassian, as she shares insights from her dynamic career at Atlassian and Booking.com. She dives into the future of B2B SaaS in 2026, emphasizing the crucial role of AI adoption and innovative pricing models. Romy discusses the decline of traditional freemium models, the shift to value-based pricing, and the need for efficient growth strategies. She also addresses how automation will transform hiring needs and stresses the importance of speed in a competitive landscape for startups.

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INSIGHT

AI And Pricing Will Redefine Winners

AI adoption speed and changing cost structures will separate winners and losers in 2026.
Pricing must shift from per-seat subscriptions to impact or value-based models as predictability declines.

ADVICE

Reprice For AI Compute Costs

Do not rely on legacy freemium or per-seat pricing without recalculating AI costs.
Rework pricing to reflect AI compute investments and uncertain user footprints.

INSIGHT

AI Changes Headcount By Stage

AI and automation will change hiring needs but effects vary by stage.
Early startups still need broad hands-on roles; mature companies will see reduced headcount or different locations.

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How will B2B SaaS Scaling be like in 2026, with AI Adoption, Pricing Shifts for Efficient Growth? This is quickly becoming the central focus for B2B SaaS leaders, as companies navigate rapid changes in technology, customer expectations, and competitive pressure. Recorded live at the SaaS Summit in Amsterdam, this episode of the Grow Your B2B SaaS podcast features a candid conversation with Romy de Groot, Chief of Staff at Atlassian. Drawing on her experience across startups, scale-ups, and Booking.com during the pandemic, Romy explains what will truly separate the SaaS companies that thrive in 2026 from those that fall behind, as AI transforms product development, pricing models evolve, and efficient growth becomes the new baseline for success.Key Timecodes

(0:00) - How Atlassian Scales SaaS With AI: Live From SaaS Summit Amsterdam
(0:51) - The Ex-Booking.com Strategist Driving Atlassian’s Growth
(1:09) - What Will Make or Break B2B SaaS in 2026
(1:57) - The Death of Traditional SaaS Pricing?
(2:17) - The Enterprise Contract Nightmare No One Talks About
(2:58) - Per-Seat Pricing Is Dying—Here’s What’s Replacing It
(3:27) - Freemium Is Broken in the AI Era—Here’s Why
(4:11) - VCs Are Done Funding Your Freemium Dreams
(4:27) - Will AI Kill Startup Hiring? The Brutal Truth
(5:33) - The 2026 Efficiency Playbook Every SaaS Founder Needs
(6:26) - AI Can Now Automate Your Boring Work—But Not What You Think
(7:23) - GTM Teams vs AI: The Speed War Is On
(8:12) - No-Code + AI: Build Fast, Break Faster?
(8:43) - Why Every B2B SaaS Needs an Affiliate Engine Now
(9:28) - If You Built a GTM From Scratch in 2026—Start Here
(10:36) - Do You Even Need VC Money Anymore?
(11:13) - Your $500 MVP Won’t Survive an $8M Pre-Seed Competitor
(11:40) - The Smart Founder’s Equity Strategy for 2026
(12:27) - There Is No SaaS Silver Bullet—Stop Searching
(12:52) - How to Make Strategy When Nothing Is Certain
(13:33) - The Real 0→10K MRR Blueprint (That Actually Works)
(14:41) - How to Scale From $10M to Hypergrowth—What Changes
(16:58) - From $10M to a Billion? The Founder Mindset Shift
(17:24) - Set Your Number: How Your Exit Target Shapes Everything
(18:55) - Connect With Romy De Groot
(18:56) - Subscribe or Miss the Next Big SaaS Insights