Source: Andrewchen
The shift from raw model access (OpenAI/Anthropic APIs) to packaged agent products (Muse, Town, Instinct) mirrors the transition from cloud infrastructure to SaaS. The open question is whether network effects accrue to platforms or remain diffuse across point solutions. Consumer-grade wrapping and security matter less than lock-in mechanisms: if agents live in Discord servers or enterprise Slack instances, network effects flow to messaging platforms, not agent makers. If they build their own social graphs or data moats, winners consolidate. Early products suggest most builders are choosing the former path—building features for platforms, not platforms themselves.