214 To understand where enterprise AI monetization is headed, it helps to ask where software itself is consolidating. For decades, business software followed a familiar pattern: build a specialized tool, sell it to a narrow user base, and scale up within a vertical. This was the age of vertical SaaS – Toast for restaurants, Guidewire for insurance, Veeva for life sciences...Each tool solved a deep, narrow problem. But with the rise of foundation models and generative AI, others are gunning for these prizes. Enter the horizontal enterprise platforms – horizontal layers that combines AI-native productivity, search, communication, and knowledge management into one unified interface. Think of it as Slack meets Notion meets ChatGPT, all in one platform. Horizontal enterprise platforms could usher in a new form of monetization: not by selling siloed software licenses, but by charging for intelligence, embedded throughout the stack. The value shifts from tools to outcomes – from CRMs to automated deal summaries, from service desks to AI-powered resolution flows. These horizontal capabilities are still early, but they're already being harnessed by incumbents and upstarts alike. Microsoft is integrating Copilot across the stack. Zoom and Canva are layering GenAI into user-facing workflows, while Databricks is infusing GenAI into its data and developer stack. Meanwhile, startups like Glean are betting on AI-first workflows to challenge the suite model… AI Monetization Possibilities – Enterprise = Horizontal Platform & / Or Specialized Software?