AI Agentic Systems

Wall Street triggered a sharp sell-off in software stocks last week, driven by investor fears that AI tools—particularly agentic systems and code generation—will disrupt traditional licensing models and reduce demand for seats. The market rotation hit horizontal application software hardest while rewarding companies demonstrating AI-driven revenue. The underlying demand: evidence that hyperscaler AI capital expenditure, exceeding $470 billion this year, translates to actual returns. Software firms are now being sorted into two categories: those adapting to enterprise AI needs and those at risk of obsolescence.