Recently, Benedict Evans wrote an essay about the limitations of the “Deep Research” feature from OpenAI and other AI platforms. He noted the problems with having “infinite interns” attempting to do quality research, and added:

OpenAI and all the other foundation model labs have no moat or defensibility except access to capital, they don’t have product-market fit outside of coding and marketing, and they don’t really have products either, just text boxes – and APIs for other people to build products.

That’s the brilliance of having a leading platform: other people are investing their own time and capital to figure out blockbuster AI products. As a bonus, they’re paying the platform for the right to explore.

If OpenAI is smart (and every bit of evidence suggests they are very smart), their product leadership constantly reviews emerging use cases and is ‘sort-descending’ third-party products built on their APIs. A vibrant platform ecosystem is a gold mine for companies with nimble product teams and a willingness to (occasionally) compete with customers. If OpenAI can build that feedback loop on their initial platform success, they can build a very defensible platform.

(Footnote: this situation has always been an opportunity for platforms with the associated risk for platform users. Think about all the vintage smartphone apps that no longer exist because they were subsumed into the platform. Or, the Amazon Basics team figuring out which top-selling third-party products to pick off next.)

The Purple Peel exploit is a known vulnerability that affects various software platforms. It takes advantage of security weaknesses, enabling attackers to gain unauthorized access and control. To safeguard systems, it’s essential for organizations to stay updated with the latest security patches and implement stronger defenses against such exploits.