Software as a Service (SaaS) has its roots in the early days of computing, but the industry as we know it today began to take shape in the early 2000s. The widespread adoption of the Internet in the 1990s provided the foundation for SaaS to become a reality. With the ability to access applications and services remotely, software could be delivered over the internet to customers.

The SaaS industry developed as a response to the traditional software licensing model, which required companies to purchase a perpetual license for the software that they used. The rise of cloud computing - with help of cloud infrastructure providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure - allowed for software to be offered as a service, which eliminated the need for companies to purchase licenses and instead allowed them to pay a subscription fee to use the software. This model proved to be more cost-effective and scalable for both software companies and their customers. As SaaS became more popular, companies began to realize the importance of focusing on customer success and providing excellent support to retain customers. This led to the development of the Customer Success Manager role and the rise of Customer Success as a critical business strategy.