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Solving the "DoorDash Problem"

mbi-deepdives.com · 2,135 words · saved by 1 readers

Nilay Patel from “The Verge” has recently been talking about the “DoorDash problem” for some consumer internet companies. What is the “DoorDash problem”? From The Verge: As you can tell, this isn’t really a DoorDash specific problem, rather emblematic of a larger problem for many consumer internet companies, especially marketplaces that rely on ads to make their overall economics work. Predictably, these consumer internet companies don’t think (or at least don’t want you to think) AI agents can really threaten their position. They believe their specific data, vetted networks, or brand trust create a defensive “moat” that AI agents cannot easily cross. Verge quoted C-suites from Lyft, Zocdoc, Taskrabbit etc who all sort of echoed this sentiment. However, the CEO who I felt had the most cogent strategic argument to AI agents is Uber’s Dara Khosrowshahi. Notice this excerpt between Nilay Patel and Uber’s CEO: That really says it all! Nobody really needs to make a big claim whether any of

Nilay Patel from “The Verge” has recently been talking about the “DoorDash problem” for some consumer internet companies. What is the “DoorDash problem”? From The Verge : “Briefly, it’s what happens when an AI interface gets between a service provider, like DoorDash, and you, who might send an AI to go order a sandwich from the internet instead of using apps and websites yourself. That would mean things like user reviews, ads, loyalty programs, upsells, and partnerships would all go away — AI agents don’t care about those things, after all, and DoorDash would just become a commodity provider o

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