What does a rival have to overcome to win a machine buyer from a platform?
From MCC-001, an essay: a hypothesis, not a measurement.
The short answer
A loss of usable evidence, as well as price and performance. The essay argues that a buyer who changes environments may restore human approval or tighter controls until the basis for delegating has been rebuilt, and a rival has to overcome that too.
As published in the issue
If a buyer changes environments and loses usable access to evidence that previously justified delegated discretion, it may restore human approval or tighter controls until that basis has been rebuilt. A rival has to overcome that loss of usable evidence as well as compete on price or performance.
The sentence above is quoted from the essay as published and is not re-written here. The essay, its date and the address it was published at are below.
Why it matters
Competing on price assumes the buyer can compare. When the evidence that justified delegation stays behind, the incumbent keeps an advantage the offer itself does not show.
Source
- Issue
- Machine Commerce Conditions: MCC-001 — September 2026
- Published
The terms
The terms this question uses are defined in the glossary.
Corrections and disputes
Corrections to this issue are on the corrections register, and this answer reads from the record rather than from a copy.