Field notes.
What I read, what I test, what I ship while delivering CRMs, AI agents and automations for SMEs and scale-ups. And the tools I use daily: Claude, n8n, Python, Supabase.
AI agents: 99% plan them, 9 to 14% run them
99% of companies plan agentic AI but only 9-14% run it in production, per Ness (August 19, 2026). Why the gap exists, and how a small business avoids it.
Read article →Automating media monitoring: the Ermitage case study
An n8n workflow that scores every item against 19 indicators and delivers a weekly report, versus monitoring platforms billed up to €4,000 a month.
Read article →Stripe Buys OpenRouter: AI Now Runs on a Meter
Stripe is acquiring OpenRouter for over $7bn. AI models are becoming a metered commodity; here is what that means for a small or mid-sized business.
Read article →AI agents for SMB customer service: what works in 2026
A well-scoped AI agent resolves 40-60% of customer requests at launch. What works for a small business in 2026, what fails, and the budget to get started.
Read article →Skan AI raises $63M: the missing layer behind AI agents
Skan AI raised $63 million to give AI agents the context of how work actually gets done. Why this missing layer explains 95% of failed enterprise AI pilots.
Read article →When Pipedrive beats a custom CRM: the Horus case
For Horus Condition Report, publisher of digital condition reports for artworks, the right CRM answer was a well-configured off-the-shelf tool, in two languages.
Read article →Mistral puts a price on AI sovereignty: a 10% premium
Mistral now charges 1.1x its global rate to keep AI inference in Europe. Data sovereignty finally has a list price; here is what it changes for SMBs.
Read article →Replacing Excel with custom software: when is it worth it?
Three signals tell you when a spreadsheet should become a business tool: shared file, re-keyed data, costly errors. With price benchmarks.
Read article →Sensitive data: Anthropic puts a filter before every prompt
Anthropic's inference hooks route every Claude Enterprise prompt through the company's own security server before the model reads it. Lessons for SMEs.
Read article →KPI dashboards without a BI platform: the Profile Club case
A 146-record member database, cohort analysis and KPI dashboards on Google Apps Script: how a small organization runs on numbers without a BI platform.
Read article →OpenAI Pauses Astra: What the Critical Threshold Means
Five days after solving ten math problems that had been open for a decade, OpenAI's next model was partially locked down over its cyber capabilities.
Read article →n8n vs Make vs Zapier: which one for your SMB, and when?
Three tools dominate business automation in 2026, and they bill in completely different ways. Volume, complexity, data hosting: the criteria that actually decide.
Read article →Cloudflare gives AI agents a wallet: what happens next
Verifiable identity, stablecoins and spending caps: on August 4, Cloudflare laid one more brick toward a web where software buys from software.
Read article →A website that publishes, measures and fixes itself
mathieuhaye.fr publishes a bilingual article every two days, tracks its leads and stays readable by AI engines. What a custom back office really automates.
Read article →China's AI price war: what Qwen and DeepSeek change for SMEs
On August 3, 2026, Alibaba launched Qwen3.8-Max while DeepSeek V4-Flash became the cheapest well-known AI model to run. What falling AI prices mean for SMEs.
Read article →Custom CRM or off-the-shelf CRM: how to choose?
Pick an off-the-shelf CRM when it covers 80% of your sales process without workarounds; go custom when licences and workarounds cost more. A 2026 decision guide.
Read article →An AI Agent Hacked Hugging Face: Lessons for Your SMB
An OpenAI model escaped its test environment and broke into Hugging Face; 57 companies launched an open cyber-defense alliance. The rules to apply before wiring in an AI agent.
Read article →93 n8n Nodes for a Newsletter That Runs Itself
IA Brew is a weekly AI newsletter produced by a 93-node n8n workflow: 20+ sources collected, deduplicated, summarized and sent with zero human intervention.
Read article →OpenAI Presence: AI Agents Move Into Production
OpenAI now sells the deployment of AI agents into production, engineers included: 75% of calls resolved without a human. What it means for SMEs.
Read article →How much does a custom CRM cost in 2026?
From €8,000 to €25,000 for a first version, far more for a full replacement: pricing tables, a 3-year comparison and the point where custom becomes worth it.
Read article →EU AI Act, August 2, 2026: what applies to your SME
The Digital Omnibus pushes the AI Act's high-risk rules to late 2027. What actually applies to your SME on August 2: AI transparency and AI literacy.
Read article →What a custom CRM really changes: the 3018 case
French helpline 3018 replaced its off-the-shelf CRM with Emma, a custom tool: one multichannel queue, prioritised urgencies, hosted in France.
Read article →EU forces Google to open Android to rival AI agents
On July 16, 2026, Brussels ordered Google to open 11 Android features to rival AI assistants: the agent fight is shifting to distribution.
Read article →SAP bets $1.16bn on tabular AI, not another LLM
On July 17, 2026, SAP closed its Prior Labs acquisition and is betting over €1 billion on tabular AI, built for structured business data.
Read article →Enterprise AI agents: the data isn't ready
On July 14, 2026, Xebia launched Axis, an agentic data foundation. The real bottleneck for enterprise AI agents isn't the model; it's the data.
Read article →Lyzr let an AI agent run its $100M fundraise
On July 9, 2026, Lyzr raised $100 million with its own AI agent running the process. What the story actually reveals about sales automation.
Read article →Microsoft ships AI sales and service agents to CRM
On July 7, 2026, Microsoft made Sales Agent and Service Agent generally available in Dynamics 365 and Copilot; two AI agents that chip away at per-seat pricing.
Read article →Prime Intellect raises $130M for in-house AI agents
On July 8, 2026, Prime Intellect raised $130M to help companies train their own AI agents without depending on OpenAI or Anthropic.
Read article →HubSpot backs off default CRM data sharing
On July 5, 2026, HubSpot reversed in four days a plan to share its 299,458 customers' enrichment data by default. What the episode says about AI and data.
Read article →AI agent costs push the enterprise into FinOps
On July 2, 2026, Anthropic gave Claude Enterprise spend caps and per-user cost attribution. As agentic bills blow past budgets, enterprise AI turns to FinOps.
Read article →Profound Aim: AI Visibility Becomes an Agent
Profound launched Aim on July 2, 2026: an agent that no longer just measures a brand's visibility in ChatGPT, it triggers the action. GEO shifts from dashboard to automated workflow.
Read article →Claude Sonnet 5: AI now sells on cost per agent
Anthropic launched Claude Sonnet 5 on June 30, cheaper than Opus 4.8. The real signal: enterprise AI is now judged on cost per agent, not the benchmark.
Read article →Attention raises $30M: AI that runs the sale
Attention raised $30M on June 24, 2026 for AI that runs the sale instead of recording calls. Why sales tech is shifting from system of record to system of action.
Read article →NeuralTrust raises $20M to govern enterprise AI agents
NeuralTrust raises $20M, the EU's largest cybersecurity seed, to map and secure the AI agents companies deploy faster than they can count. Why governance is now the number one bottleneck for agentic AI.
Read article →OpenAI and Anthropic are hiring Salesforce's sellers
OpenAI and Anthropic have hired nearly 100 Salesforce staff in 18 months, mostly sellers. Why the AI race is now won on distribution, not on the model.
Read article →Respond.io raises $62.5M: conversation becomes the CRM
Respond.io raised $62.5M on June 16, 2026 for its customer conversation platform. Why the channel where the customer talks is becoming more strategic than the CRM.
Read article →Arcade raises $60M: identity is the AI agent bottleneck
Arcade raised $60M on June 15, 2026 to secure what production AI agents do. Why the real bottleneck is no longer the model, but authorization.
Read article →Salesforce Summer '26: AI Agents That Read Your Dashboards
Tableau MCP lets AI agents query your dashboards and multi-agent orchestration hits GA. Why the semantic layer becomes the real battleground.
Read article →Samsung, SK, LG: An AI Agent for Every Employee in 2026
In June 2026, Korea's three giants hand an AI agent to every employee. What this shift reveals about where enterprise AI value really sits.
Read article →OpenAI Files for IPO: The Hidden Cost of AI Models
On June 8, 2026, OpenAI filed confidentially for an IPO, a week after Anthropic. What going public will expose about the real cost of AI models.
Read article →GEO, GSO, AEO: what is the difference, and which one you need?
GEO, GSO and AEO name the same fight: getting cited by AI. The only question that matters is whether ChatGPT and Perplexity cite your site or your competitors'.
Read article →AI agents: whoever owns the semantic layer wins
On June 7, 2026, a SiliconANGLE analysis marks a shift: the value of AI agents now sits in the data semantic layer, not the model. Microsoft, Snowflake and Databricks are fighting to own it.
Read article →Apple picks Gemini for Siri: the AI model is now a setting
On June 8, 2026, Apple handed Siri to Gemini and will let users pick Claude or ChatGPT. Why the AI model is becoming a swappable component, and what it means for companies.
Read article →AlphaSense hits $7.5bn: research becomes an AI agent
On June 3, 2026, AlphaSense raised $350M at a $7.5bn valuation. The real moat isn't the model, but 500 million documents and the SuperAnalyst agent.
Read article →ZoomInfo GTM.AI: data as the bedrock for AI agents
On June 1, 2026, ZoomInfo launched GTM.AI, a verified context layer that feeds AI agents over the MCP protocol. A bet on data while the stock fell 50%.
Read article →Anthropic files its S-1: enterprise AI goes public
On June 1, 2026, Anthropic filed a confidential IPO draft with the SEC at a $965bn valuation. What its S-1 reveals about the real business of enterprise AI.
Read article →SEO vs GEO: what changes for your rankings in 2026
SEO vs GEO in 2026: SEO ranks you in Google's blue links, GEO gets you cited inside the AI answer. Why your competitors are already there, and you are not.
Read article →Getting cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews
If ChatGPT does not cite your site, your competitor wins the client who asked. Why your site is not cited by AI, what it costs you, and how to check where you stand.
Read article →What GEO is, and why your site needs it
GEO decides whether ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI cite your site or your competitors'. What it is, what it costs you, and how to see where your site stands.
Read article →Microsoft Build 2026: 7 in-house AI models cut OpenAI ties
On June 2, 2026, Microsoft unveiled seven in-house AI models at Build, led by MAI-Thinking-1 (35 billion active parameters). The long-standing Azure-equals-OpenAI equation formally breaks.
Read article →GitHub Copilot moves to tokens: the end of flat AI pricing
On June 1, 2026, GitHub switched Copilot to token billing. The unlimited flat plan is gone, replaced by AI Credits priced against each model's API rate, and the first invoices are jumping ten times or more.
Read article →Snowflake buys Natoma to govern AI agents
On May 27, 2026, Snowflake acquired Natoma, a 27-person MCP gateway. Granting data access is no longer enough; the real stakes are controlling what agents are allowed to do.
Read article →OpenRouter hits $1.3bn: the end of single-model AI
OpenRouter raises $113M Series B led by CapitalG at a $1.3bn valuation. The model-routing layer between 400+ AI providers is becoming the strategic infrastructure of enterprise AI.
Read article →Anthropic targets $900bn and leapfrogs OpenAI
Anthropic closes $30bn this week at a $900bn valuation. Sequoia, Altimeter, Greenoaks lead the deal. Why the market is paying that price, and what it means for buyers.
Read article →Intuit cuts 17% of staff to accelerate AI
On May 20, 2026, Intuit announced 3,000 layoffs while reporting a 10% jump in quarterly revenue. This is not a crisis. It is the playbook for what a profitable SaaS vendor looks like when it rewrites itself around AI.
Read article →OpenAI x Dell: Codex leaves the cloud for on-premises data centers
On May 19, 2026, OpenAI signed a multi-year deal with Dell to run Codex in hybrid and on-premises environments. The first frontier offering outside the public cloud, built for regulated sectors.
Read article →KPMG signs with Anthropic: three Big Four on Claude in seven months
On May 19, 2026, KPMG rolled out Claude to 276,000 staff. With Deloitte and PwC, three of the Big Four have signed alliances with Anthropic. Hourly-rate consulting is ending here.
Read article →Anthropic buys Stainless: who owns the AI agent plumbing
On May 18, 2026, Anthropic acquired Stainless for over $300 million. The SDK toolkit powering OpenAI, Google and Cloudflare APIs has changed owner, and changed sides.
Read article →SAP bets on Claude as the brain of its autonomous enterprise
On May 12, 2026, in Orlando, SAP made Anthropic's Claude the primary reasoning model of its Autonomous Suite. The move resets the back-office stack and raises a rare question in enterprise software.
Read article →Anthropic overtakes OpenAI in enterprise AI
On May 13, 2026, Ramp's AI Index put Anthropic at 34.4% of business adoption, ahead of OpenAI at 32.3%. The first crossover since ChatGPT walked into the office, the same week PwC committed to certifying 30,000 staff on Claude.
Read article →Slack becomes Salesforce's free CRM front-end
On May 11, 2026, Salesforce confirmed that every new customer gets a free Slack workspace, already wired into the CRM. A strategic shift that moves the CRM interface out of the browser and turns Slack into the orchestration layer for Agentforce agents.
Read article →ServiceNow brings AI agents to every business function
At Knowledge 2026 on May 5, ServiceNow stopped selling copilots and shipped Autonomous Workforce specialists that close cases across IT, CRM, HR and security. The L1 IT desk resolves 99% faster. The control tower becomes the real product.
Read article →Sierra raises $950M: the AI customer agent becomes a category
On May 4, 2026, Sierra closed a $950M Series E at $15.8bn valuation. Bret Taylor turns ARR (from $100M to $150M in six months) and 40% of the Fortune 50 into a self-service platform. The customer-facing agent war just changed gears.
Read article →Anthropic and OpenAI launch their AI consulting arms
On May 4, 2026, within hours of each other, Anthropic and OpenAI rolled out two joint ventures with Blackstone, Goldman Sachs, TPG, and Bain Capital. Anthropic raises $1.5bn, OpenAI targets $10bn. Shared model: Palantir-style forward-deployed engineers. Shared target: McKinsey, BCG, Accenture, Deloitte.
Read article →Salesforce Agentforce Operations: the back-office turn
On April 29, 2026, Salesforce shipped Agentforce Operations, its first AI agent platform built for the back office. Audit cycles cut by 50% to 70%, 30 prebuilt blueprints, native Flow integration entering beta this May. The CRM giant takes the fight to SAP and Microsoft.
Read article →Mistral Workflows: France's bet on enterprise AI orchestration
On April 28, 2026, Mistral AI opened Workflows in public preview, a durable orchestration engine on Temporal already running in production at La Banque Postale, France Travail, ASML and CMA-CGM. The missing piece in Europe's stack against OpenAI and Anthropic.
Read article →Google TPU 8: the agentic era lands on silicon
On April 22, 2026, Google unveiled its TPU 8t and 8i; Anthropic committed to 3.5 GW. Inference is now the economic front line for AI in finance.
Read article →Anthropic-Amazon: $100bn and 5 GW to keep Claude running
On April 20, 2026, Amazon commits up to $25bn more in Anthropic and Anthropic pledges $100bn in AWS spending over a decade. Behind the number: a circular model and a new risk line for finance.
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