Will OpenAI and Anthropic just build whatever AI product I make?

The frontier labs aren't going to build a newsletter builder plus a form system for local media publishers. The market's too small for them and the workflow is too specific. That's exactly why I build there.

"Frontier labs like Anthropic will not build hyper-specific, multi-step workflows for a narrow niche like local media, because it is not worth their effort. That's where an independent operator can build a moat."

Which AI products are safe from the labs?

• Narrow. One industry whose problems you know.
• Multi-step. Workflows with several stages that each need industry knowledge.
• Integrated. Tools that work together for one kind of buyer, like a newsletter builder plus a form system.

Which AI products are not safe?

Simple ones. A one-click AI receptionist is commoditizing quickly. Vibe coding is real and it's going to keep happening, and it makes sense for it to get rid of super simple software that does one thing.

Even so, I'd guess about 90% of business owners would rather pay $99 for a tool than build their own, because building it means signing up to constantly fix it.

If building is easy, what's the real advantage?

Distribution. Ideas used to be kind of pointless. Now ideas matter, because people can build things so quickly. The real answer, though, is audience and marketing. Since building is easy, more people are building, and it's crowded trying to get in front of buyers.

You could build the coolest thing ever and have it perfect and ready to go. How are you going to sell it? More in what the real moat is when anyone can build software.

Does a polished interface protect me?

Less every year. Agents like Claude will increasingly operate B2B software on a user's behalf, so visual polish matters less over time than workflow reliability and data integration. When I planned lightbreak's second version, I dropped drag-and-drop for an automation-first system.

A peer showed me how disposable simple software has become: he built a grant-review app in Lovable, used it with four teammates, then deleted it.

Should I build or consult?

For most people, the highest-probability way to make money from AI right now is consulting or implementation, because faster change increases demand for help. If you do build, build narrow. See build AI software or sell AI services.