DOP Deep: OpenAI and the risks of strategic dependencies
Lessons for product teams about the risks of being dependent on someone else’s product
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Hi product people 👋,
This week has been quite the rollercoaster ride for tech enthusiasts and product teams alike. As the OpenAI debacle appears to draw to a close, there are many lessons that are starting to emerge from the chaos - and commentators will no doubt spend a lot of time unpacking the events of the past week to teach future MBA students about the perils of 2023 AI startup life.
We won’t delve too deeply into the details of the events we know little about but one of the more interesting takeaways for product teams to ponder from the OpenAI storm and its aftereffects is the idea of strategic dependencies and vulnerabilities.
In just a few days, companies big and small who were dependent on OpenAI for powering their entire AI stack were scrambling to figure out what the dramatic changes at the company meant for them. If the company that powers your AI stack implodes, the risk is that it takes down your product with it.
In this DOP Deep, we’ll explore the concept of strategic dependencies, including how they manifest themselves in product development and what steps you can take to mitigate them in your own product.
Coming up:
What is a strategic dependency?
Examples of companies with strategic dependencies and vulnerabilities
How to measure your strategic dependencies
How to mitigate your risks