Thread: Can you still build in the application layer?

Don't rush to conclusions. Wrong question to ask whether OpenAI and Anthropic will dominate all software.

The real question: Which path are you taking? The model providers are building horizontal infrastructure, but vertical applications with domain-specific data, workflows, and distribution still have massive moats. Think about it - foundation models are commoditizing, but the last-mile integration, UX tailored to specific use cases, and proprietary data pipelines are where defensibility lives. If you're just wrapping GPT APIs with a nice UI, yeah you're cooked. But if you're solving a real workflow problem with unique data access and deep domain expertise, the application layer is wide open.