I was on a run when the idea hit me. I’d been thinking about the build-vs-buy question in the context of AI, a topic I revisit constantly with clients, and I wanted to write something about it.
Then I noticed that “build” and “buy” rhyme. And that the whole thing had a rhythm to it.
So instead of writing the article, I asked an AI to write a song about it. In the style of Eminem.
Here’s what came back:
Build vs. Buy (Rap)
Verse 1 They say the SaaS game’s got it all figured out, But I’m in the lab building what they can’t talk about. Off-the-shelf solutions, yeah they’re quick to deploy, But every vendor’s got a lock that they quietly employ. Custom code, I know it costs more up front, But I own every line, every feature, every stunt. With AI in my corner writing logic at the speed of thought, Build-vs-buy ain’t the battle that it used to be fought.
Chorus Build it if you want to own the game, Buy it if you just need to play the same. But in the age of AI, the math has changed: What took a team of ten, one dev has rearranged.
Verse 2 Procurement process taking six months to close? Meanwhile I shipped v3 and nobody knows. Vendor roadmap going where they want to go, My roadmap goes exactly where my customers flow. I’m not saying buy is bad, sometimes it makes sense, Core competency matters, pick your battles and fence. But when the thing you’re buying is your competitive edge, You handed that advantage to the vendor. Go ahead.
Bridge AI changed the calculus, that’s real. What used to take a year, now takes a sprint to build. The gap between build and buy shrunk overnight, So run the numbers again before you sign that site.
Outro Build vs. buy: it’s never one-size-fits. Context is everything. Don’t let the hype eclipse it. Know your core. Know your team. Know what you can own. The right answer isn’t build or buy. It’s think before you clone.
I’ll be honest: I came to my senses before I had it generate a music video too. But only barely.
The point stands, even in rap form. The build-vs-buy equation has genuinely shifted. AI tools have lowered the cost of building substantially. Not to zero, but enough that you should re-run the analysis more often than you used to.
The framework I use with clients:
- Build when it’s a core differentiator, when you need deep customization, or when the vendor’s roadmap and yours are clearly diverging.
- Buy when it’s infrastructure, when the problem is solved well and you don’t need to own the solution, or when speed to market outweighs ownership.
- Re-evaluate when AI enters the picture, because what used to be a six-month build might now be a six-week build.
The song was AI’s idea. The thinking behind it is still mine.