The Economics of Software Innovation

This survey of C-level executives explores the economic opportunity AI presents for software innovation, the security and governance challenges that come with rapid agentic AI adoption, the evolving role of human expertise in an AI-driven development landscape, and how executives are making the business case for software innovation investment.

• How AI investments could unlock $750 billion in value globally while saving $28,249 per developer annually
• Why 89% of executives expect agentic AI to become the industry standard within 3 years — and what governance measures are needed
• The human skills that 99% of executives say remain valuable, and why 92% prioritize upskilling for human-AI collaboration
• How 90% of organizations are linking software development metrics to key business outcomes