"Own your weights": AI assistants turn explaining yourself into a hidden cost
_AustinCalvert_ · x · 2026-10-19
A shared essay excerpt argues that calling your accumulated context with an AI assistant a "moat" obscures its hidden burden.
- Getting help often depends on your ability to explain exactly what help you need — but the moments help matters most are precisely when you struggle to articulate the problem.
- Repeated explanation makes you responsible for maintaining the relationship: noticing when the system misunderstands you and repairing its understanding, which becomes yet another thing you manage.
- If moving elsewhere means repeating months of explanation, the switching cost is far higher than it looks.
The tagline "Own your weights" pushes the point: rather than sinking your understanding effort into one assistant, own the accumulation yourself.
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