The product beneath the interface

AI is collapsing the cost of building interfaces to near zero, which means the traditional moat of controlling the user experience is disappearing. When personal agents can curate custom feeds and apps can be assembled on demand, what matters shifts to what's built beneath the surface: content networks, identity layers, moderation standards, and trust relationships. Bluesky demonstrates this shift with their AT protocol powering over a thousand apps and 20 billion public records, all drawing from the same content and identity layer. Subwave is applying this same architecture to media publishing and subscriptions, supporting RSS, AT protocol, and open APIs while keeping creator control at the center. The key insight: nobody builds a beloved platform by leading with protocols. The product experience must come first, always. But underneath that great experience, open standards make platforms more durable and impossible to replace. As AI agents begin consuming and redistributing media, platforms built on open foundations will be positioned to thrive while walled gardens fight a losing battle. Published on Subwave https://subwave.app/@paul/post/the-best-product-beneath-the-interface