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by faangguyindia 90 days ago
Claude code might be subsidized but there are other risks

Like if any agent can use claude models then it exposes them to distillation risk. Where data gathered from millions of such agent usage can easily be used to train a model, making their model superiority subpar

Second thing is, to improve their own coding model, you need predictable input.

If input to their model is all over the place (using different harnesses adds additional entropy to data) then it's hard to improve the model along 1 axis.

Cache is money saver in computing. Their own client might be lot better at caches than any other agent so they do not want to lose money yet end up with disgrunted customer that claude isn't working as good

And also, if a user can simply switch model in an agent. Then what moat does anthropic have? Claude code will not include other companys models and thus will allow them to make their claude code more "complex" with time so the workflows are ingrained in users psyche to the point using anything else becomes very difficult and user quickly returns to claude code
2 comments
Covenant0028 89 days ago
They are not entitled to a moat, and their customers do not owe them one. Several companies have narrow or no moats. Dell and HP are two examples when it comes to their PC business.

This idea that companies should be allowed to lock down their products just so they can have moats, is how we ended up with printer ink being more expensive than crude oil or champagne.

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solenoid0937 88 days ago
Companies are absolutely allowed to lock down their own products. Netflix is a great example, you don't bring your own client for Netflix.

The whining/entitlement in this thread is ridiculous. The API is always there for you to use as you desire.

If you want to use the loss leader on the other hand, you agree to abide by certain terms. But if you don't want to do that, just use the API. It's not that hard.

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tekne 88 days ago
> champagne

Makes sense, sort of...

> crude oil

I really hope that's cheaper than ink or we're gonna have a problem...

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cruffle_duffle 89 days ago
> Cache is money saver in computing. Their own client might be lot better at caches than any other agent so they do not want to lose money yet end up with disgrunted customer that claude isn't working as good

I’d bet a reasonable amount that this could be the case. They are very well incentivized to maximize cache use when it’s basically not pay per token.

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