Day 25: The Danger of Distribution

When your growth engine belongs to someone else

Hi everyone, it’s day 25.

So, something I just realized I haven’t really talked about — and it’s funny because I’ve spent this whole series preaching about how powerful distribution is — is the danger of it.

Distribution can be an incredible advantage, but it can also be a trap if you build entirely on someone else’s platform.

One of the clearest examples is what happened with Facebook years ago. Back then, Facebook allowed developers to build games and experiences directly inside the platform. People could play games, invite friends, and spend hours inside those apps — all powered by Facebook’s distribution.

Zynga built a massive business inside Facebook’s social-game ecosystem. Then Facebook changed the rules. Zynga lost some of its core discovery engine. That shift shows the danger of letting your growth depend entirely on one platform’s distribution channel.

That’s the dark side of platform-based distribution. When you depend too heavily on a single channel, you’re basically renting your growth. And landlords can change the rules anytime.

You’re starting to see similar things happen again today — especially in the AI age. A lot of AI agents are being built on top of existing platforms: WhatsApp, Instagram, Slack, or even X. But then, one API change later, boom — access gets restricted or pricing changes, and the entire product model collapses.

Even if the platform doesn’t actively cut you off, it might just stop working for your growth. Algorithms change. APIs tighten. Attention shifts elsewhere.

So, while distribution is powerful, you can’t depend on it completely. It’s essential to design for resilience — build a cushion, own part of your channel, and don’t let your entire product life depend on someone else’s gate.

Because when platforms change, it shouldn’t be your whole market that disappears with them.