Salesforce, Datadog & Epic are building walls. After two decades of flourishing through open APIs & data portability, the software industry’s largest incumbents are locking down.

Salesforce restricted Slack’s API1 in May 2025, limiting third-party apps to one API call per minute & fifteen messages per request. Datadog deactivated accounts2 for Deductive AI, a competing observability startup. Epic faces a Texas lawsuit3 accusing it of turning patient records into a “gatekeeping tool.”

The pace of software development, as a result of AI, is accelerating, enabling incumbents to broaden their suite & compete with previous partners. Faster execution means more defense from those with established businesses. This is the new normal.

Platform businesses have minted billions in the past. Vlocity ($1.33B acquisition)4 & Veeva ($36B market cap)5 built multi-billion dollar businesses on the Salesforce platform. nCino reached a $2.9B market cap6 serving financial services on Salesforce. ServiceMax sold to GE Digital for $915M7. Klaviyo built a $8.8B business8 with 78% of its revenue from Shopify customers.

But building on top of a system of record offers less stable ground than it once did. When Salesforce throttles Slack’s API, they’re telegraphing where the value is. When Epic locks down patient records, they’re drawing a map. Incumbents don’t build walls around worthless assets. And they don’t build defenses unless they perceive credible & urgent challengers.

AI’s speed enables both startups & incumbents to own a stack end-to-end. That’s offense in an era of walls.

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1. Computerworld : Salesforce changes Slack API terms ↩︎

2. Deductive : Datadog, Thank You for Blocking Us ↩︎

3. Regulatory Oversight : Texas Takes Aim at Epic ↩︎

4. TechCrunch : Salesforce grabs Vlocity for $1.33B ↩︎

5. Google Finance : Veeva Systems (VEEV) ↩︎

6. Yahoo Finance : nCino (NCNO) ↩︎

7. TechCrunch : GE Digital snags ServiceMax for $915 million ↩︎

8. Yahoo Finance : Klaviyo (KVYO) ↩︎