AI products have a reverse usage curve: magic up front, failures later

josh_wills · x · 2026-08-21

An observation highlights a bizarre usage curve for AI products that is the opposite of traditional software:

The Honeymoon Phase: Users experience incredible magic and delight when first trying the product.
The Deterioration: After the initial period, usage leads to annoying failures and limitations as the model's boundaries are hit.

This reverse curve suggests that initial excitement does not guarantee long-term retention as reliability issues emerge.

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