A survey of 310 developers and builders from mid-sized companies in sectors like SaaS, Finance, and Retail reveals the critical importance of internal tools to operational success, with over 80% of respondents affirming their significance. However, despite this importance, many teams face challenges in acquiring the necessary time and resources for development, with over half citing these as major hurdles. Additionally, issues such as unclear ownership, rapidly changing data sources, and difficulties in linking tool impact to revenue further complicate the process. Larger companies dedicate more time to internal tools, with those employing over 1,000 people spending close to 40% of their time on them. Full-time roles focused on internal tooling are becoming more common, particularly in operationally intensive companies, though less so in SaaS firms. Dashboards, admin panels, and customer support tools are popular, with internal databases and APIs, especially Postgres, serving as common foundations. Google Sheets is notably popular for tool construction, even among those in technical roles who also utilize frameworks like React. Despite their importance, internal tools can be a source of frustration for developers, highlighting a need for greater discussion and transparency in this area.