why we're building this
software should be infrastructure you own, not rent you pay forever.
the problem
every month, your business sends money to software companies that can raise prices, change terms, get acquired, or shut down — and you have zero legal recourse.
ai made building software cheaper. but building was never the expensive part. 80% of total cost of ownership is maintenance — updates, hosting, security, support. that's the part saas vendors use to extract from you indefinitely.
you don't have a software problem. you have an ownership problem.
the model
destroysaas flips the script. instead of renting from a vendor, businesses collectively fund the software they need. certified cell members design, build, and operate it — accountable to the same cooperative you belong to.
the source code is collectively owned by the cooperative — not open-source, not closed-source. our source. the data belongs to you. the legal structure — a limited cooperative association — gives you real enforceable rights: structural decisions require approval from both member classes, operations are handled by an elected board, and fork freedom means you can leave with everything.
your monthly costs are predictable: fixed dues plus voluntary pledges. as more members join, access fees from new members reduce your effective cost over time. the cooperative doesn't skim a take-rate. dues fund operations. pledges fund projects. that's it.
how cells work
someone proposes software their business needs — what it does, what they'd pay monthly.
other businesses with the same need back it with monthly commitments.
when monthly pledges hit the board-set threshold for that project category, pledges lock.
the cooperative funds a scoping phase. certified cells submit architecture proposals and cost estimates — paid work, not spec work.
a product steward evaluates bids. the winning cell designs, builds, and operates it. the source code is collectively owned. you own what you paid for.
go deeper
the math
the economics of SaaS don't work for small business. here's the math on collective ownership — with a calculator to run your own numbers.
the legal model
limited cooperative association, enforceable contracts, fork freedom, and why you have more rights here than you've ever had as a saas customer.
the financial model
how cells get funded, access fee mechanics, treasury management, and exactly where every dollar goes.
the philosophy
from stallman to credit unions — why collective ownership of software is the only path to financial freedom for small business.
the governance
how destroysaas itself is structured, funded, and governed. we're forming as a Colorado LCA — our draft bylaws and articles of organization are public.
the authors
the people behind destroysaas and why they're building this. not theorists — practitioners who've already operated cooperatives, shipped infrastructure, and open-sourced the bylaws.
faq
what if I want to leave?
fork freedom. the source code is collectively owned — you take it, your data (via self-serve export), and the right to run it yourself or hire any developer to host it for you. you cannot resell or offer it as a hosted service to others.
who builds the software?
certified cell members — small product teams (typically 2–5 people) that handle product, design, engineering, and operations. they're members of the cooperative with the same structural voting rights as businesses. they carry professional liability insurance and must pass quality gates on every release.
what's the legal structure?
a limited cooperative association (LCA). a real legal entity that gives you enforceable contracts, voting rights, and legal standing. structural decisions require both member classes to approve. day-to-day operations are handled by an elected board.
can I change my pledge amount?
yes, until pledges lock at the board-set threshold. during the build phase, pledges are escrowed for the contracted duration. you can always propose additional pledges for feature rounds on existing projects.
what happens after a cell is selected?
the winning cell takes over — product direction, design, development, hosting, and support. a product steward with domain expertise manages scope and priorities on behalf of pledging members. the cell retains full authority over architecture, stack, and implementation.
is the code open source?
no — and that's intentional. the source code is collectively owned by the cooperative, licensed under established source-available frameworks (BSL/FSL). members can read, run, modify, and fork it. non-members cannot. this prevents the 'join, copy, compete' attack that has gutted open-source projects. not open source. not closed source. our source.
what if no one pledges my idea?
it stays visible on the board. share it. rally others. there's no expiration. good ideas find their people.
how is this different from open source?
open source gives you code anyone can take. destroysaas gives you a funded, maintained, hosted product with collectively owned source code, legal protections, collective governance, professional cells with liability insurance, and a reserve fund. you own it without giving it away.