As the numbers in our recent Fast-Growth 50 2026 report show, MSPs are continuing to add headcount against a tough market backdrop.
But will they start to look more to AI, and less to human employees, to support their future growth?
The Fast-Growth 50 leaders we caught up with harboured mixed views…
View Fast-Growth 50 here.
Will AI will curb your rate of hiring?
Yes
Richard Maynard, Wessex IT
In the near term, and for high-growth companies, we think AI is going to be a productivity booster – that means doing more with the same team. This will weight on our demand for new hires – and for white-collar workers everywhere.
Where did Wessex IT rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Stuart Fenton, CEO of Ingentive
The correlation between headcount growth and revenue growth is broken because of AI. We are no different. We need half the resources in back-office functions than would have needed even three years ago. We already have a number of agents performing tasks in the business and this will dramatically increase through 2026.
Where did Ingentive rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Mark Sweeny, CEO of de Novo Solutions
Yes, we have already started making early inroads into how we adopt and integrate AI into our everyday working practices as well as our product development. Whilst we will still grow, it will not be at the levels we have seen to date.
Where did de Novo Solutions rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Ian Snow, CEO of Central Technology
Yes. Our goal is to decouple revenue growth from headcount growth. Automation and AI will reshape how MSP teams operate, so growth will look different with more efficiency and new roles emerging.
Where did Central Technology rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Sohin Raithatha, CEO of Redsquid
They allow us to automate routine processes, respond faster to customer needs and scale services without necessarily adding headcount at the same rate.
Where did Redsquid rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
No
Tony Crawley, CEO of Synyega
Unsurprisingly, this came up on a recent analyst call.
Imminently, AI will automate some lower-level analysis but the governance and financial complexity it introduces means demand for experienced specialists is actually increased rather than decreasing.
Where did Synyega rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Matt Dunn, Sales Director of Original
Quite the opposite. AI is creating entirely new categories of work and customer demand. We see it accelerating our growth, not replacing it.
Where did Original rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Emma Carter, CEO of WestSpring
AI changes where we add headcount rather than whether we add it. If we use AI well, it should help our team do higher-value work and keep service consistent as we scale.
Where did WestSpring rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Daniel Bumby, MD of Simoda
AI changes where we hire, not whether we hire. We’re investing more in higher‑value skills – consulting, architecture and technical – rather than pure operational roles.
Where did Simoda rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
Steve Snowden, CEO of Snowden Consulting
I think certain roles may change, but all going well we will continue to grow at a similar rate – it’s a big world, and not everything will be AI regardless of what social media may have us believe.
Where did Snowden Consulting rank in Fast-Growth 50? Find out here
