[Swizec]

> Are product-based tech companies/startups still defensible if anyone can basically recreate the product with some English?

The code is not the asset. It never has been. Deeply understanding your customer, their problem, and how to solve it is the asset. The code is just the current manifestation of that understanding.

Problem is that for many companies the code is also the only manifestation of that understanding.

[sottol]

Maybe put another way, if I can get an LLM/AI to build exactly the product that I need, is a company that serves many customers simultaneously but probably worse still necessary?

I think it'll be hard enough to reason about what you really want that most customers won't care enough to roll their own. And personally, I'd happily pay someone to keep the product maintained. A product is usually not one and done.