If we hadn't already poured resources into complex, custom AI integrations, would we truly opt for those complicated systems, or would we go straight for simpler, API-driven solutions? The idea that operational friction somehow contributes to low switching costs is a classic case of sunk cost thinking, not a causal link.
We see this repeatedly when companies refuse to walk away from legacy IT systems, claiming the pain of managing them makes new modular setups look good.
But the ease of redirecting API calls comes from a fresh, modular design, like how a new, pre-assembled office desk is easy to set up, not because your old one was a nightmare to build.
It's not the old system's problems that create the new system's flexibility; it just makes the new system's inherent benefits more obvious, often after too much money is already gone.