I spent 8 years building Google Sheets. Now I think apps are on their way out
A Sheets clone took days, not years. Software value is moving from interface to data underneath it. That shift changes what companies should defend first. Prepare data for agents, or watch the app fade.
Key points
- Apps get cheaper fast.
- A Sheets clone took days, not years, which changes the economics of software.
- Frontends become replaceable surfaces.
- The real moat moves to data, integrations, and systems like Stripe or Spotify.
- Teams that prepare data for agents will adapt faster.
This is one of fifty stories I surfaced this week from Surface — a tiny slice of the full feed.
