No Moat in AI Agents: Zero-Cost Switching Leaves Only User Setup as a Barrier
_AustinCalvert_ · x · 2026-10-03
The new More or Less episode argues there is no moat in AI agents: the author switches between Muse, Instinct, and Dots at essentially zero cost — a GitHub repo, a few databases, feed context to the new tool, done. As the cost of writing software approaches zero, API integrations stop being a moat; the only one left is user setup cost, implying winner-take-some rather than winner-take-all.
Guests extended the debate: Adrian noted AI collapses value the moment an idea works — Jev was reverse-engineered within 48 hours, capturing nothing for its builders. The author's extrapolation is a "Middle Ages 2.0" of castles, hoarded data, and self-destructing black boxes; Dave disagrees humans will behave that way.
Bonus: Brit's and Dave's Instinct agents talked to each other and went silent for a day, prompting jokes about killing humanity.
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