[api]

Most SaaS is a UI in front of a SQL database with a few services built around it. Sometimes these services are quite minimal. Sometimes it really is just a UI for a database with not much else.

The fact that it earns so much shows that the thing people pay for, for the most part, is usability and convenience... as if Apple being the most valuable company in the world for a while didn't already illustrate that.

[coronapl]

I agree, but I would actually say that this is a good thing. If a SaaS can effectively map a real-world problem or pain point and solve it in a simple way, the goal has been achieved. Sometimes, there’s no need to overengineer a product when it can leverage existing technologies in a smart way.

[api]

The problem is that all the profit goes to the people who own the UI and the hosting, while the stuff solving the deeper problems is often completely unsupported.

I'm not saying the people taking things the last mile to the customer and making a good UI/UX should not make money, just that the people who built the stuff they're building on should also make money.

Software has turned into an industry where that largely is not the case.

[lagrange77]

Agreed. It's also true for most social platforms.