AI is breaking the old moats.
It can build apps. Automate workflows. Generate content.
That creates an uncomfortable question:
What happens to businesses built on the idea that these things are hard?
For a long time, the internet rewarded scarcity.
Private data. Closed platforms. Proprietary software.
That was the moat.
Build something useful. Protect it. Keep others out.
That made sense when software was hard to build.
But AI is changing the game.
The old question was:
“How do I stop others from copying me?”
But maybe that is no longer the right question.
The better question is:
“How can I benefit when they do?”
That is the economy of abundance.
Bitcoin Showed the Way
Bitcoin’s code is open.
Anyone can copy it.
But Bitcoin is not valuable because nobody can see how it works.
It is valuable because everyone can.
The more people run Bitcoin nodes, build shared tools, accept Bitcoin, and trust Bitcoin, the more useful the network becomes for everyone involved.
That is the shift.
This is the new moat.
Can This Business Model Work Beyond Bitcoin?
Take coffee.
In the old Web2 model, every coffee-loving community builds its own silo.
A Vancouver coffee community has a map of unique cafés. A Portland roaster community has coffee brand ratings. A Seattle coffee club has cool contests.
Each project lives its own life.
Knowledge is split. Users are split. Rewards are split.
Everyone builds a useful little island.
Then everyone builds a wall around it.
But AI is tearing those walls down.
What an Abundance Model Looks Like
Now imagine those projects are built on the same open foundation.
The Open Data Layer has information about cafés, roasters, products, recipes, and brewing equipment.
The Open Social Layer has user accounts, ratings, reviews, recommendations, and community activity.
The Open Business Layer has contests, giveaways, rewards, service offers, and sponsor opportunities.
Now projects can tap into this shared foundation.
And contribute back to it.
The open layers are not controlled by one company.
No gatekeepers. No central authority. No permission required.
Everyone can safely build on them.
The foundation cannot be pulled out from under your feet.
Competition Becomes Joint Success
The network effect benefits everyone.
More cafés, roasters, and products means better choice. More users means more content and social connections. More businesses means more rewards and contests.
The success of one project can strengthen all the others.
Projects benefit. Users benefit. Businesses benefit.
A new coffee guide can tap into an extended knowledge base.
A local roaster can reach coffee lovers across many projects.
A giveaway can travel beyond one website’s audience.
In the old model, each project fragments value.
In the abundance model, each project expands the shared network.
Your Worst Nightmare Becomes the Strategy
In the scarcity model, being copied is the nightmare.
Someone saw your idea. Someone built a similar site. Someone is coming for your users.
So you defend.
You close the system. You protect the data. You lock in the users.
But in the abundance model, the logic flips.
You want others to copy the idea.
Openly.
You want more local coffee guides. More roaster communities. More reward-driven discovery projects.
Because if they build on the same open foundation, their success strengthens the network you are part of.
Their users add activity. Their businesses create more opportunities. Their sponsors make the ecosystem more attractive.
What used to be your worst nightmare becomes your greatest advantage.
Being copied is no longer the thing you fear.
It becomes the thing you design for.
The New Moat
This is why scarcity-based models become fragile in the AI era.
If your advantage is only software, AI can build it. If your advantage is only workflow, AI can replicate it. If your advantage is only content, AI can create it.
The walls get thinner. The tools get cheaper. The copies get better.
But open layers are different.
They become more valuable as more people use them.
Open data. Open social. Open business.
These networks compound.
All projects built on the open foundation are lifted by the same tide.
You are welcome to join us.
Use our data. Work with our users. Tap into our rewards.
The Abundance Question
AI will make software abundant.
So the next durable businesses may not be the ones trying hardest to hide their software.
They may be the ones building systems that become stronger because software is abundant.
Scarcity asks:
“How do I stop others from copying me?”
Abundance asks:
“How do I make it easier for others to build on top of my work?”
That is a different game.
And in the age of AI, it may be the only game worth playing.