$60M to Replace Benefits Brokers. The Disruption Is Here.

Gyde just raised $60 million to build the first AI-native insurance brokerage. Not a tool for brokers — a replacement for the brokerage model itself. Led by Lightspeed, backed by Optum Ventures, founded by a 10-year Oscar Health veteran.In this episode, I break down three things:First — what Gyde actually is and why this isn't another SaaS platform. They're acquiring agencies and rebuilding them with AI from the inside out.Second — the 80-90% automation thesis. Most of what benefits brokers do is pattern execution, not judgment. Analytics, renewals, compliance, repricing — AI handles all of it. The 10-20% that remains is where the real value lives.Third — who survives. Three groups are forming: the acquirees, the resisters, and the adapters. WTW just paid $1.3 billion for Newfront explicitly for "agentic AI capabilities." The market is telling you what it values.The US benefits consulting market is projected to more than double to $10.5 billion by 2035. The question isn't whether AI disrupts this space. It's whether you're building or being bought.Full sources and the deep dive: danmccoymd.substack.com/