When acquiring business software, tech leaders commonly frame their choices as build versus buy — an outdated and inaccurate notion. This traditional thinking underestimates the complexity and cost of packaged solutions as well as the value of platforms and their ecosystems. It also overestimates the cost and complexity of modern development in the era of AI-enhanced tools and processes. Today, companies must choose between customizing existing solutions, composing modular components, or generating apps using AI agents and platforms. Uniqueness can’t be bought — it must be created through a blend of approaches, each offering new paths to differentiation, adaptability, and speed.