McKinsey: 32% Build Software Instead of Buying It — What Developers Must Know

McKinsey's State of AI 2026 survey found that 32% of organizations skipped a software purchase this year because an AI coding agent could build the equivalent in-house, according to the report's coverage of 1,719 organizations across 97 countries. The same report cites a 44% AI code security failure rate and forecasts cancellation of 40% of agentic projects, along with a run-cost trap that most teams will not see until year two.

One-third of companies skipped a software purchase this year because an AI coding agent could build the equivalent in-house. That is the headline from McKinsey’s State of AI 2026 survey — and it is the most consequential finding for developers this week. Not because the 32% figure is impressive, but because of what the report buries: a 44% AI code security failure rate, a 40% agentic project cancellation forecast, and a run-cost trap most teams will not see coming until year two. What McKinsey Actually Measured The survey covered 1,719 organizations across 97 countries and asked whether they had decided … The post