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Jan 09, 2026 · 6 min

The Open-Source Moat Is a Distribution Problem

Llama and Mistral did not lose because of their weights. They lost the channels.

↳ Capability commoditizes. Distribution doesn't. Build for the channel, not for the leaderboard.

A short note on why the open-source-eats-everything thesis stalled — and where the durable moats actually live.

Capability commoditizes. Distribution doesn’t. Build for the channel, not for the leaderboard.

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