It's not just technical barriers that have collapsed. Creators' moats are disappearing too.
Now, anyone can create with AI. People who don't know coding build websites, and those unfamiliar with music theory make songs. Spotify sees millions of tracks uploaded each month, with about 20% being AI-generated. Who made them matters less and less.
Now, anyone can create with AI. People who don't know coding build websites, and those unfamiliar with music theory make songs. Spotify sees millions of tracks uploaded each month, with about 20% being AI-generated. Who made them matters less and less.
Everyone Has Become a Creator, But...
Creating is easier now, yet standing out is harder. With entry barriers gone, competitors multiply endlessly. Most get buried in the noise, and only pioneers survive. On this flat ground where the moat has fallen, everyone is stepping on each other to stand tall.
In this process, the creative middle class is collapsing. AI democratizes creation, but mid-level creators struggle to make a living. Only top stars or AI-optimized content thrive, while the rest get pushed out.
In this process, the creative middle class is collapsing. AI democratizes creation, but mid-level creators struggle to make a living. Only top stars or AI-optimized content thrive, while the rest get pushed out.
Creation Splits into Two Paths
Like startups, creation divides into data-driven and belief-driven approaches.
Data-Driven: Analyzing algorithms, A/B testing, calculating virality. The moat is optimization speed. AI dominates here, churning out content efficiently.
Belief-Driven: Consistent identity, clear messages. The moat is an unreplicable worldview. Traditional creators start here but shake under survival pressure.
Just as startups fail if they don't clearly choose one side—belief-driven or data-driven—and take an ambiguous stance, creators do too. Wavering between both blurs identity, losing fans and data advantages. They end up buried in the noise.
Let's look at startup examples. Apple led innovation with Steve Jobs' strong vision (belief-driven) but balanced it with data-driven methods. WeWork failed by over-promoting vision and neglecting data-based market analysis. Netflix succeeded by data-driven user behavior analysis for content optimization, while incorporating early creative beliefs. Quibi mixed vision and data ambiguously and collapsed quickly.
The music industry is similar. Taylor Swift succeeds belief-driven, maintaining consistent emotional connections and storytelling with fans. BTS achieved global success data-driven, through fan data analysis and social media optimization. But some pop stars who chased early trends and lost identity vanished from the market. Jay-Z, after early failures, stuck to his beliefs and succeeded, showing that consistent stance is key.
In this way, consistency in stance is the essence of success. Choose one side clearly and hold it to rebuild the moat.
Data-Driven: Analyzing algorithms, A/B testing, calculating virality. The moat is optimization speed. AI dominates here, churning out content efficiently.
Belief-Driven: Consistent identity, clear messages. The moat is an unreplicable worldview. Traditional creators start here but shake under survival pressure.
Just as startups fail if they don't clearly choose one side—belief-driven or data-driven—and take an ambiguous stance, creators do too. Wavering between both blurs identity, losing fans and data advantages. They end up buried in the noise.
Let's look at startup examples. Apple led innovation with Steve Jobs' strong vision (belief-driven) but balanced it with data-driven methods. WeWork failed by over-promoting vision and neglecting data-based market analysis. Netflix succeeded by data-driven user behavior analysis for content optimization, while incorporating early creative beliefs. Quibi mixed vision and data ambiguously and collapsed quickly.
The music industry is similar. Taylor Swift succeeds belief-driven, maintaining consistent emotional connections and storytelling with fans. BTS achieved global success data-driven, through fan data analysis and social media optimization. But some pop stars who chased early trends and lost identity vanished from the market. Jay-Z, after early failures, stuck to his beliefs and succeeded, showing that consistent stance is key.
In this way, consistency in stance is the essence of success. Choose one side clearly and hold it to rebuild the moat.
The New Moat Is the Platform's Algorithm
Where the technical moat fell, platform algorithms have risen. They control recommendations and exposure, so optimizing for them is the new edge. In the AI era, speed and vision become moats, and creators must understand and adapt to algorithms.
But this moat is weak too. If platforms change, everyone returns to flat ground. Perhaps the real moat is community or momentum.
The moat has fallen. Everyone stands on flat ground, stepping on each other. How will we distinguish ourselves now? What is the essence of creation?
I don't know. I just create amid uncertainty and search for meaning. Maybe that's all there is.
But this moat is weak too. If platforms change, everyone returns to flat ground. Perhaps the real moat is community or momentum.
The moat has fallen. Everyone stands on flat ground, stepping on each other. How will we distinguish ourselves now? What is the essence of creation?
I don't know. I just create amid uncertainty and search for meaning. Maybe that's all there is.