HN debate: why frontier model makers don't launch their own app companies
What happened
On October 23, Hacker News user ex-aws-dude posted a question: if frontier models are strong enough, why don't OpenAI or Anthropic start a batch of companies and build products on their own models, instead of selling tokens as their main revenue? The post asks "why not start 100 companies yourself" and argues that as models commoditize and prices fall, the application layer may earn more than the tool layer. The thread reached the Hacker News front page and had 68 comments at the time of reporting. The reports give no response from either company and no related startup plans.
Written by AI from the coverage · updated 1 hour ago
Coverage
Follow the reports to see the story from different sides.
- Hacker News front pageAsk HN: If the models are so good, why doesn't OpenAI just start 100 companies?
Hacker News 用户 ex-aws-dude 发帖讨论：如果前沿模型足够强，OpenAI 或 Anthropic 为何不直接创办一批公司、用自家模型做产品，而是把卖 token 当作主要收入来源。帖子认为在模型商品化和价格下降的趋势下，应用侧可能比工具侧更赚钱，引发 68 条评论。
Heat over time
Not enough continuous observations to draw a trend yet.