The more useful a platform becomes, the harder it is to live without.
Platforms like LinkedIn and Upwork became markets by matching utility and opportunity at scale. As they grew trusted and relevant, they also became gatekeepers (yes, monopolies.)
The effect is known as the Platform Paradox: the very features that make platforms valuable (network effects, seamless workflows, built-in trust) are the same ones that create dependency. And once a platform reaches critical mass, it’s hard to leave. We become trapped. In the case of Upwork, freelance rates plummet, the quality of projects degrade, the work suffers. What started as a solution turns into hard to escape limited choice.
Supercharging the platform Paradox
With AI, the stakes are much higher. Imagine a world where a single AI platform becomes the primary interface for:
Information access
Content creation
Problem-solving
Decision-making
The platform would shape not just what we know, but how we think.
The risk is larger than monopoly: it’s monoculture. An inescapable, infinite echo chamber.
The choice is (still) ours
The platform paradox isn’t inevitable. While networks tend to concentrate power, we can design systems that deliver scale without locking users in. My starting list:
Regulation that protects knowledge as a public good
Look to the early internet, where government-funded research and shared protocols seeded today’s global access.
Interoperability layered on vertical platforms
Figma succeeded by focusing on design collaboration while remaining open to APIs and workflows from third-party tools. It proved that specialization and interoperability can coexist.
Business models aligned with user success
Open-source platforms like Linux show how communities and companies can thrive without locking users in. Sustainability doesn’t have to mean enclosure.
Team practices that prioritize diversity of tools and approaches
Developers often work across stacks and platforms by design. This fluidity isn’t just preference—it’s protection from monoculture.
The future of digital platforms, especially in AI, doesn’t have to be monopolistic. Avoiding that outcome takes deliberate action—across design, policy, and culture.
Or, in Google’s original words: Don’t be evil.
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