Memory Will Be Big Tech's Final Moat
New systems emerge that create huge value through connection: social graphs, attention graphs, behavioral graphs. They start out open, distributed, seemingly built to spread benefits across networks of participants.
But as soon as the data becomes valuable enough, the walls go up. Private platforms take control. Access tightens. Value capture begins.
We saw it happen with social networks. We watched it unfold with search and advertising. Now, we’re about to watch it happen again — only this time, it’s happening with memory.
Modern AI systems are building persistent memories of users — with a depth and granularity we haven’t seen before:
- Interaction histories that cut across contexts and platforms
- Emotional profiles built from language patterns and behavior
- Belief structures inferred through iteration and modeling
- Behavioral predictions getting sharper and harder to notice
These aren’t trivial datasets. They’re the raw material of identity — far deeper than clicks, likes, or friends lists ever were.
Whoever controls the richest memory graph of a user will control the personalization layer of the future.
Every new app trying to compete will face a structural disadvantage — forced either to rebuild memories from scratch, or to rely on the incumbents who already own them.
Memory won’t just drive engagement anymore. It will shape decisions, relationships, ambition, loyalty.
This is a deeper kind of capture than anything we’ve seen before online.
The window to stop this from happening is small — and closing fast.
We have to get this right, or we’re fucked.
Memory graphs have to be user-owned from the very beginning:
Portable by design, not patched on later
Permissioned by default, with clear scopes
Local-first whenever possible
Revocable at the user’s discretion, no questions asked
If we don’t set these principles now, memory will be fenced off, resold, optimized, and weaponized — just like every other layer before it.
Only this time, it won’t just be your friends list or your clicks that gets captured.
It will be your mind.