As major tech platforms continue to expand their core features, a quiet pattern has emerged: tools that once felt like startups are being absorbed directly into the platforms they were built on. For early-stage founders and Gen Z builders, this isn’t paranoia it’s precedent.

In this Hot Bytes episode of culturally/INCOMPETENT, Nicholas Clements-Lindsey examines how platform power actually works, why “that’s just competition” doesn’t tell the full story, and what happens when value is built in places platforms already control. Drawing on recent moves by companies like OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Amazon, this episode breaks down the difference between speed and leverage and where builders can still protect themselves.

This isn’t a warning against building on platforms. It’s a reframing of how ownership, dependency, and long-term value really function in today’s tech economy.

Driving question: If platforms can absorb products overnight, where does real leverage actually live for builders right now?