Honestly speaking, I think it was always possible for someone to replicate what you do in your SaaS, but maybe just a little slower. IMO the value was always in the fact that someone else is willing to obsess about the problem so you don't have to.

For example, I could probably always have make a Quizlet clone for myself, but even with agents around I'd rather just use Quizlet than spend the time making my own flashcard app, even if I have to pay like $5-10 a month. Just food for thought