I worked with Steve Jobs at Apple, where every OS update killed startups. AI founders are about to face the same thing
AI founders are facing a challenge similar to what startup founders encountered with Apple's operating system updates, where the company would integrate similar features, effectively shutting down competitors. This phenomenon, known as "sherlocking," led to the demise of companies like Tile, Pebble, and f.lux, which were unable to compete with Apple's system-level advantages and default integrations. While some companies like Dropbox, Spotify, and 1Password have managed to survive and even thrive by evolving beyond standalone consumer features into enterprise solutions and building strong ecosystems, the core lesson remains that price alone is insufficient against a platform's competitive moves. AI
IMPACT AI founders may need to develop strategies beyond feature parity to avoid being outmaneuvered by large platforms.