{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Napkin Math","title":"Is Software Dead? The Moats That Still Matter After AI","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/4f67b4aa\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3465,"description":"AI coding has made software cheap and fast to build. So what actually protects a business now? Sabba and Charlie go through every major moat and test it against AI: SEO, distribution, network effects, switching costs, brand, real-world relationships, regulation, hardware and proprietary data. Charlie’s hot take is that AI agents are quietly breaking network effects. Then they run through Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers and talk about which moats a startup can realistically build today. Along the way: Tally Forms, Higgsfield, OpenTable, Blockbuster vs Netflix, and a free cleaning service that films your home to train robots.\nTimestamps:\n00:00 Intro\n00:28 Why AI broke the software moat\n05:36 SEO and distribution\n12:36 Network effects vs AI agents\n21:50 Switching costs and brand\n28:28 Real-world moats: relationships, regulation, hardware\n37:00 Data and scarce resources\n40:50 Hamilton Helmer’s 7 Powers\n51:48 Which moats survive AI","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/GSqM2o0Mo6pQ8uotfwL5Y_MGLA1zRgwW9kTzy0_mYg0/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9lNjQw/MDhhODg2M2U4NGJi/ZTNmNTYxODFhZDE1/M2EyZS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}