# Top 10 in Tech - What to know for Week ending April 24, 2026

Published: 24 April 2026
Canonical: https://www.top10in.tech/posts/week-ending-april-24-2026

## 1. SaaS METRIC OF THE WEEK: CRO

[Conversation Rate Optimization](https://moz.com/learn/seo/conversion-rate-optimization), Banklinko has created [a great web guide](https://backlinko.com/conversion-rate-optimization) about what it is and how to design for CRO within a business.

Link: https://moz.com/learn/seo/conversion-rate-optimization

## 2. MULTIPLES

Redpoint's [2026 Market Update](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/91hasdyjtiefmvbx1bqqo/2026-Market-Update.pdf?rlkey=yk5d6dktnbkcrdjofnhe59c9q&dl=0) puts it bluntly: public SaaS trades at 4.1x NTM revenue, the lowest multiple in a decade, with software down 20% YTD - dead last in the S&P 500. Horizontal SaaS is down 35% LTM, while vertical and infra held flat. Holy crap - This means that public SaaS is now the worst-performing sector in the S&P 500, down 20% YTD. Median NTM revenue multiple has collapsed to 4.1x - the lowest in a decade.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/91hasdyjtiefmvbx1bqqo/2026-Market-Update.pdf?rlkey=yk5d6dktnbkcrdjofnhe59c9q&dl=0

## 3. RETENTION

Fast follow from above - as this report is JUICY! [Redpoint also surveyed 141 CIOs](https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/91hasdyjtiefmvbx1bqqo/2026-Market-Update.pdf?rlkey=yk5d6dktnbkcrdjofnhe59c9q&dl=0): 54% are actively consolidating vendors; 45% of AI budgets are replacing existing software spend; AI features are the #1 driver of software spend increases at 58%, so that spend is cannibalizing existing budgets (and SaaS), not expanding them. Customer service, finance ops, and project management top the replacement list. 46% of CIOs expect usage/outcome-based pricing to grow, while 29% say seat-based pricing will decline.

Link: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/91hasdyjtiefmvbx1bqqo/2026-Market-Update.pdf?rlkey=yk5d6dktnbkcrdjofnhe59c9q&dl=0

## 4. GTM EFFICIENCY

AI-native companies are [hitting $10M ARR within 9 months of their first $1M](https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/the-emerging-ai-growth-playbook)! That's roughly 3x faster than the best SaaS benchmarks (per Kyle Poyar's interviews with founders at Clay, Gamma, HeyGen, and Fyxer). The playbook: delay AE hires until $2M ARR, pair forward-deployed engineers 1:1 with sellers, and keep lifetime burn below ARR - no big deal.

Link: https://www.growthunhinged.com/p/the-emerging-ai-growth-playbook

## 5. DEPLOYMENT

[FDEs are a new term for me. Forward Deployed Engineers](https://www.saastr.com/why-no-one-has-enough-fdes-why-cs-cant-fill-the-gaps-and-why-agents-most-cant-deploy-themselves-today/). The biggest bottleneck in AI right now isn't the models - it's getting them deployed. Lemkin flags the FDE shortage: enterprise customers with proper training hit 60-80% automation rates, while self-serve lands around 20%.

Link: https://www.saastr.com/why-no-one-has-enough-fdes-why-cs-cant-fill-the-gaps-and-why-agents-most-cant-deploy-themselves-today/

## 6. PRODUCTIVITY

[Price's Law](https://beforetakeoff.substack.com/p/price-law-for-founders) isn't a new concept - but always so relevant - the square root of your headcount produces 50% of output. AI-first startups are proving it at scale. As mentioned a [few weeks back](https://www.top10in.tech/top-10-in-tech/top-10-in-tech-what-to-know-for-week-ending-march-13-2026) (#9), Tunguz did [the org chart math](https://tomtunguz.com/communication-tax-small-orgs/): 150 people equals 11,175 communication channels; 30 people + AI equal only 435. (and Anthropic generates ~$5M revenue per employee vs $200-300K at traditional SaaS).

Link: https://beforetakeoff.substack.com/p/price-law-for-founders

## 7. TASTE

The VC Corner argues [that taste is now the only moat AI can't replicate](https://www.thevccorner.com/p/why-taste-is-the-new-moat). Times have changed, fast! Coinbase says 40% of its code is now AI-generated. Lovable ships working apps in minutes. When creation is being radically commoditized, a scarce skill is curation - knowing what to cut, not what to build. We're the hipsters!

Link: https://www.thevccorner.com/p/why-taste-is-the-new-moat

## 8. TOOLS

Claude Skills are under-appreciated, and I've been customizing a bunch this month for my personal use (they avoid re-prompting, no copy-pasting context, and makes your token use more efficient). The AI Corner published [a highly bookmarkable 25 copy-paste Skills for startup marketing covering content, SEO, CRO, email, and positioning](https://www.the-ai-corner.com/p/claude-skills-startup-marketing-complete-library-2026).

Link: https://www.the-ai-corner.com/p/claude-skills-startup-marketing-complete-library-2026

## 9. VENTURE

Anyone who's raised here has heard the dreaded phrases: "Too early," "too crowded," "not in our thesis" - VC-isms. [This article breaks down the](https://www.the-founders-corner.com/p/the-reasons-why-investors-say-no)[*real*](https://www.the-founders-corner.com/p/the-reasons-why-investors-say-no)[reasons VCs say no](https://www.the-founders-corner.com/p/the-reasons-why-investors-say-no). 10 rejection themes, decoded with some brutal clarity. A must-bookmark/read in prep for your next raise.

Link: https://www.the-founders-corner.com/p/the-reasons-why-investors-say-no

## 10. CASE STUDY

Anthropic has reportedly hit $30B ARR, passing OpenAI's $25B, per [The AI Corner.](https://www.the-ai-corner.com/p/anthropic-30b-arr-passed-openai-revenue-2026) The kicker: it's spending roughly 4x less on training costs and projecting positive free cash flow by 2027 - three years ahead of OpenAI. Over 1,000 enterprise customers now spend $1M+ annually, up from 500 two months ago.

Link: https://www.the-ai-corner.com/p/anthropic-30b-arr-passed-openai-revenue-2026

## POD OF THE WEEK

More on the [pricing push mentioned in #3 above](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IqiMibVgGIrEj8L0MMqH2) - price wars are heating up and hands are being forced by the utility and ubiquity of Anthropic, OpenAI et all.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3IqiMibVgGIrEj8L0MMqH2