How do I tell a real build from rebuilding a commodity?
One test. Could you buy it, and would buying it cost you nothing that matters? Then it is a commodity.
There is a single test. Could you buy this, and if you did, would you lose nothing that sets you apart? If yes, it is a commodity. Buy it, and do not let pride talk you into a custom version of software the market already builds better.
You build for two reasons. You cannot buy it, because your proprietary data and your particular workflow are the whole point and no vendor has them. Or you will not buy it, because it is bespoke enough that a vendor implementation would cost more work and compromise than building it yourself. Everything else is a system of record you should license.
The trap in this era is rarely too little building. With AI in hand, it is building the wrong things: rebuilding the commodity while the small, differentiating tools go unbuilt. Route each request on purpose.
The whole discipline is on Buy the Record. Build the Intelligence.
Cheers,
-Titus
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