Looking back · SecondSource deep dive, October 24

Most of what companies spend on company-wide AI tools goes to the office software and chat interfaces employees open every day: venture firm Menlo Ventures estimates US companies spent US$8.4 billion on such tools in 2025, 86% of it on assistants built into those interfaces.

SecondSource's October 24 deep dive said agent platforms take only about 10% of this spending. An enterprise AI vendor's position depends on how close it sits to the interfaces employees open every day and who controls read and write access to the data, and the US$8.4 billion is Menlo's survey estimate, not a booked figure. The deep dive argued that connecting agents to company data is no longer an advantage competitors can't copy. The deep dive's reading is that vertical agent companies such as Sierra in customer service and Harvey in law haven't been squeezed out because they borrow the interfaces employees already use. The deep dive said that if Menlo's 2026 report shows agent platforms at 25% or more of this spending, the reading has to be rewritten; as of October 30, Menlo's website has no new enterprise report (full deep dive). How we checked →

Concept illustration: at top right, an orange geometric mark beside the lettering "MENLO VENTURES"; below, a large framed space split into two sections by a central vertical line. On the left, a person with long dark hair in dark clothing and a lanyard badge sits on a chair typing on a laptop at a desk that holds a large red-orange drawstring sack, with a sign lettered "OFFICE SOFTWARE" standing by the dividing line; on the right, a laptop showing a chat bubble sits on a tall narrow table, with a smaller brown drawstring sack on the floor and a sign lettered "AGENT PLATFORM".

Source and checks

This item ran in the brief of Oct 30, 2026, alongside 13 other items. How we checked it, the quote checks and what was still missing that day are on that issue's How we checked page.

Cite this item

SecondSource (2026). "Most of what companies spend on company-wide AI tools goes to the office software and chat interfaces employees open every day: venture firm Menlo Ventures estimates US companies spent US$8.4 billion on such tools in 2025, 86% of it on assistants built into those interfaces.." https://secondsource.io/en/news/2026-10-30-8/. Accessed access date.