Agentic Era Part 2: How the Architectural Battle Between Model Maximalists and Code Craftsmen is Shaping AI's Future
Autonomous systems, not just bigger models, drive value creation in the era of autonomous AI. The debate over those systems' structures has big implications for businesses trying to build new moats.
Beneath the GenAI hype cycle, a fundamental transformation is unfolding.
We continue obsessing over prompts, tokens, benchmark scores, and the race to AGI. Meanwhile, the truly transformative shift that will create and destroy billions in market value is happening at the architectural level.
AI is evolving from tools we operate to workers that operate autonomously. This isn't just a product evolution; it's a fundamental rewiring of how technology creates value.
This architectural revolution is redefining:
How defensible moats are built when everyone has access to the same models
How SaaS businesses maintain margins when basic AI capabilities become commoditized
How traditional enterprises can extract asymmetric returns from AI investments
Which metrics matter when evaluating both AI-native and AI-enhanced companies
Last week, I kicked off a series analyzing this strategic inflection point and its implications for building durable businesses in what I'm calling the Agentic E…