IN DEFENSE OF THIN WRAPPERS

Summary from the TLDR Founders newsletter

GroupMe was initially an SMS-only application that could’ve been billed as a “thin wrapper” around Twilio. To reduce costs, the company migrated off Twilio, negotiated bulk pricing, and transitioned users to a mobile app – and it worked. GroupMe's challenges were similar to to current challenges faced by companies that rely on large language models made by companies like OpenAI. Founders must plan to use multiple models, understand prompt routing, develop business relationships with model providers, and secure additional funding for unexpected costs.