Execution is cheap now. What's left?

The Old Axiom#

There is a famous saying in the startup world: “Ideas are cheap. Execution is everything.”

For decades, this was the absolute truth. Everyone has a “billion-dollar app idea,” but only a few possess the technical skills, the resources, and the grit to actually build it. The barrier to entry was the code, the infrastructure, the design—the execution.

The AI Shift#

Then came Generative AI.

Suddenly, execution is becoming cheap. You can generate a landing page in seconds. You can scaffold a backend with a simple prompt. You can generate marketing assets without a designer. The technical barrier that protected engineers and builders is dissolving.

We are entering an era where execution is also cheap.

If you have an idea, AI can help you build it. If 1,000 people have the same idea, 1,000 people can now build it. The “builder’s advantage” is disappearing.

Return to Essence#

When both ideas and execution are commodities, what remains scarce?

It comes down to the essence of the product. The core value proposition. The human connection. The trust.

If anyone can build a clone of your product in a weekend, the code itself is no longer your moat. Your moat is your brand, your community, and your ability to tell a story that resonates.

Marketing is the New Engineering#

This is why marketing has become exponentially more important.

In a world of infinite supply (of software), demand is the bottleneck. The ability to articulate why your product matters is now more valuable than the ability to build it.

We used to spend 80% of our time building and 20% selling. In the AI era, that ratio might flip. The code is handled by the machines. The meaning must be handled by you.

Conclusion#

Don’t rely on the difficulty of building as your defense. That wall is crumbling. Focus on the value. Focus on the message. Focus on the people.

Execution is no longer the differentiator. Meaning is.