State of AI: Where AI Startup Dollars Really Go

In this episode of State of AI, we unpack Andreessen Horowitz’s landmark report “The AI Application Spending Report: Where Startup Dollars Really Go.” Backed by data from over 200,000 Mercury startup customers, this analysis reveals how AI-native startups are reshaping the software economy — and where the real money is flowing.We explore how today’s AI-first companies are building the next generation of software, from horizontal tools like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Notion to vertical AI agents like Crosby Legal, Cognition, and 11x that are replacing traditional teams. You’ll learn:Why 60 % of AI spend now goes to horizontal, productivity-enhancing apps.How “vibe coding” platforms like Replit and Cursor are changing how software is built.Why creative AI tools like Freepik, ElevenLabs, and Midjourney lead startup budgets.The rapid shift from consumer → prosumer → enterprise AI adoption.What the data tells us about the emergence of AI employees and agentic workflows.Tune in to understand how AI is not just augmenting human work — it’s redefining entire categories of software, creativity, and productivity.