Key Takeaways
- • Robert F. Smith, founder, chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, discussed the growth of artificial intelligence and agentic software in a Bloomberg interview with Dani Burger at CAIS in Beverly Hills, California.
- • Smith argued that the next phase of AI growth will come from private software companies, according to Vista's publisher materials.
- • Smith stressed the importance of learning how to use an AI agent, framing AI as accelerating rather than replacing enterprise software.
- • Vista has launched what it describes as a first-of-its-kind "agentic factory" (Agentic AI Factory) to advance enterprise software with agentic AI.
Summary
Robert F. Smith, founder, chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, spoke with Bloomberg's Dani Burger at CAIS in Beverly Hills, California, on October 13, 2026, about the growth of artificial intelligence and agentic software. Smith emphasized the importance of learning how to use an AI agent as the technology moves into enterprise workflows.
According to Vista's own published materials, Smith's central thesis is that the next chapter of AI-driven growth will be led by private software companies rather than only large public platforms. Vista's materials describe Smith's view that AI is accelerating, not replacing, enterprise software, and that current market narratives around software are misreading that dynamic.
Vista has promoted its Agentic AI Factory, which the firm describes as a first-of-its-kind initiative advancing enterprise software innovation through agentic AI. Smith has described his roughly 12-year AI journey in related Vista materials, linking the firm's scale and data advantages to its ability to deploy the technology across its portfolio.
The interview is a leadership perspective rather than a deal or regulatory announcement, and no specific transaction values, fund figures or performance data were disclosed in the source material.
According to Vista's own published materials, Smith's central thesis is that the next chapter of AI-driven growth will be led by private software companies rather than only large public platforms. Vista's materials describe Smith's view that AI is accelerating, not replacing, enterprise software, and that current market narratives around software are misreading that dynamic.
Vista has promoted its Agentic AI Factory, which the firm describes as a first-of-its-kind initiative advancing enterprise software innovation through agentic AI. Smith has described his roughly 12-year AI journey in related Vista materials, linking the firm's scale and data advantages to its ability to deploy the technology across its portfolio.
The interview is a leadership perspective rather than a deal or regulatory announcement, and no specific transaction values, fund figures or performance data were disclosed in the source material.
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