Model alpha increasingly going to zero, says Su Shengzang: open-sourcing alone has no moat
suchenzang · x · 2026-10-04
Researcher Su Shengzang commented that model alpha — the competitive edge from having better models — is increasingly going to zero.
In a follow-up, she made a counterintuitive argument: open-sourcing alone provides no moat. If recent events show anything, she says, it's that the less unique or impactful the tech you contribute, the better off you'll be — implying that open-sourcing frontier tech first may not confer strategic or commercial advantages in a landscape where capabilities diffuse almost instantly.
Related event: Ex-DeepSeek Researcher: Open Source Alone Is No Moat(2 posts)→
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