Thinking in layers

[#julian-defaults] proposes that company value comes from how deep it is within the layers stack (as opposed to thinking value comes directly from 202201112248 Network effects).

Using Apple as an example

• its walled garden increases switching costs (202201112255 User costs)
• it sells hardware, so it's deep it owns the layer over which OS and software run
• it occupies as much real state as it can (AKA the home screen), to avoid multihoming

The deeper we get into the stack, the stronger the grasp. The author uses the idea of 'truth layers', in which there is no multihoming (identity is a truth layer). So systems should aim to embed themselves there.

[#julian-defaults]: Lehr, Julian. “Julian.Digital - The Power of Defaults.” Julian.Digital (blog), December 20, 2021. https://julian.digital/2021/12/20/the-power-of-defaults/.