TLDR AI · DEEP DIVES & ANALYSIS

APP STORE | AGE OF AGENT

robonomics.substack.com6 min read

Summary from the TLDR AI newsletter

The App Store was a centralized answer to the distribution problem of a new computing platform. The agent era will need a new solution as agents need APIs, not app stores. Apple gained its revenue by forcing every in-app transaction through its payment system. The agent era lacks Apple's lock-in mechanics, so if one platform tries to charge high payment fees, users will just switch to a competitor. This suggests the payment layer will be competitive and low-margin rather than monopolistic.