For subscription services, the most effective moat isn't the software itself, which can be replicated, but the accumulated user data. Users are reluctant to switch apps because they would lose years of personal history, stats, and community connections, creating strong lock-in.

In the AI era, where technology can be replicated quickly, the true moat is a founder's credibility and network built over decades. This "unfair advantage" enables faster sales cycles with trusted buyers, creating a first-mover advantage that is difficult for competitors to overcome.

As AI and better tools commoditize software creation, traditional technology moats are shrinking. The new defensible advantages are forms of liquidity: aggregated data, marketplace activity, or social interactions. These network effects are harder for competitors to replicate than code or features.

AI capabilities offer strong differentiation against human alternatives. However, this is not a sustainable moat against competitors who can use the same AI models. Lasting defensibility still comes from traditional moats like workflow integration and network effects.

As AI accelerates technological progress and shortens relevance cycles, traditional tech moats become less defensible. However, network effects—especially in complex, fragmented marketplaces—remain a powerful and durable advantage. An AI agent cannot be simply prompted to "create a network effect."

As AI agents require increasingly deep access to personal data, users will only grant permissions to companies they inherently trust. This gives incumbents like Apple and Google a massive advantage over startups, making brand trust, rather than technological superiority, the ultimate competitive moat.

Sustainable scale isn't just about a better product; it's about defensibility. The three key moats are brand (a trusted reputation that makes you the default choice), network (leveraged relationships for partnerships and talent), and data (an information advantage that competitors can't easily replicate).

The most defensible businesses, especially in enterprise software, create such high switching costs that customers are essentially locked in. This "hostage" dynamic, where leaving is prohibitively difficult, is a stronger moat than simply having satisfied customers who could still churn. It's the foundation of an enduring software business.

Defensible companies build systems of record (like an ERP) that are so integral to a customer's operations that switching is prohibitively difficult. This creates a 'hostage' dynamic, providing a powerful moat against competitors, even those with better AI features.