CFOs should be skeptical of AI-native ERPs. Make no mistake. Their mission is not only to free you from the old giant monoliths like SAP, Netsuite, or Business Central. Their mission is to replace those with new monoliths.

Yes, these new ERPs are leaner, nicer-looking, and likely WAY faster to implement and cheaper to maintain. But at their core, they are still all about vendor lock-in. And vendor lock-in almost always leads to a vicious cycle of increased prices and decreased service quality.

Despite promises of plug-n-play integrations and flexibility, monolithic ERPs inevitably slow you down, regardless of being AI-native or not. And when they do, you’ll find yourself right back with crunching spreadsheets, patching holes manually.

That’s why, when making such an important decision as choosing a new ERP, we recommend a different path:

• Keep your existing ERP as long as you can and use it for what it's originally intended for - accounting. It should really just be the official dual entry system of record for your books.

  
  

• Expand without breaking your back. If you enter a new market, choose a localized accounting ERP that excels in that jurisdiction, but ensure it has an API so you can control, access and migrate the data externally.

  
  

• Customize your operations outside the ERP. Thanks to AI tools and agents, you can now build scalable, customizable operational layers without extensive software development or costly integrations.

This is why we are building Millentic: to liberate commerce operations from vendor lock-in and endless ERP integration projects.

Our mission is to give e-commerce, digital and retail businesses the flexibility to design their own “command central” without code, and the optionality to use the system stack in the ways that truly fit their needs.

We believe in the promise of AI, but we also know it’s not a magic wand. Putting AI to real, valuable work requires humans in the loop. That’s why Millentic invests heavily in making AI adaptable to humans, not the other way around. Our goal isn’t to replace human effort, but to maximize its output.

Soon, businesses will be able to build their own ERP without writing a line of code. That’s what we call true freedom.

So be patient. Don’t fall for the same false promises of the past. AI-native ERPs may look shiny, but they are still monoliths in disguise.

Always mind your freedom.

Sincerely,
Joakim and Daniel
Co-founders of Millentic