Skip to content

← All Q&A

If OpenAI doesn't have a model moat, what kind of moat does it actually have?

LLM MoatsAI ProductStartups

Drawn from Lutz Finger's Forbes column, LinkedIn writing, and Cornell teaching. Sources are cited inline so you can read the originals.

User base of 100M offers paths to sustainable competitive advantage

OpenAI doesn’t have a model moat, but it has a 100 million users moat. ChatGPT currently has over 100 million users, which creates opportunities to build sustainable advantages. There’s much that can be done to create lasting competitive protection: User Experience, Data Access, Workflow Integration, LLM governance, and regulatory protection. While the business model should give us pause, the user base provides a foundation for building real defensibility. The moat comes from how you serve and retain those users, not from the underlying technology itself.

OpenAI Isn’t Going Bankrupt, But It Has A Business Model Problem · Forbes


Have a follow-up? hello@lutzfinger.com. Or pick another question: all Q&A →