in this conversation, you’ll learn:
* why traditional growth channels stopped working in a saturated software economy.
* how ecosystem-led product growth creates durable dependency instead of rented attention.
* how ai turns integrations into the new distribution layer.
* why the network itself has become the real product.
where to find prayerson:
* x: https://x.com/iamprayerson
* linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prayersonchristian/
in this episode, we cover:
(0:00 – 2:07) the collapse of the old growth engine
* why paid ads, seo, and outbound no longer scale sustainably.
* how attention became the most expensive and crowded resource.
(2:07 – 5:01) infinite software supply
* how ai and cloud collapsed the cost of building products.
* why every category is now flooded with near-identical tools.
(5:01 – 7:12) the attention tax
* how auction dynamics drive customer acquisition costs out of control.
* why trial fatigue makes conversion and retention harder.
(7:12 – 9:31) feature parity and churn
* how rapid imitation flattened differentiation.
* why easy onboarding also made switching dangerously easy.
(9:31 – 10:14) the pivot to dependency
* why interruption based growth breaks when attention is saturated.
* how durable growth now comes from embedding into workflows.
(10:14 – 11:36) what elpg really means
* how growth moves from landing pages into software itself.
* why users arrive through necessity rather than persuasion.
(11:36 – 13:15) shopify’s ecosystem flywheel
* how third-party apps acquire and qualify users for the core platform.
* why the storefront becomes the business’s operational nervous system.
(13:15 – 14:21) salesforce as infrastructure
* how app exchange turns crm into an enterprise backbone.
* why partners fund feature depth that the core team never could.
(14:21 – 15:55) slack and figma as connected layers
* how integrations convert tools into operating systems.
* why plugins and bots increase switching costs across teams.
(15:55 – 17:55) elpg vs product-led growth
* how plg fights for attention while elpg inherits it.
* why being pulled into workflows beats being discovered.
(17:55 – 19:44) network dependency
* how multiple integrations compound switching costs.
* why ecosystems behave like nervous systems rather than apps.
(19:44 – 21:07) ai intensifies lock-in
* how agents require real-time access to connected systems.
* why ai turns integrations into operational necessity.
(21:07 – 23:06) google and microsoft’s advantage
* how native access to email, docs, and data creates default ai distribution.
* why embedded intelligence beats standalone ai tools.
(23:06 – 24:37) the elpg growth loop
* how integrations drive usage, dependency, and lifetime value.
* why quality of customers compounds before quantity.
(24:37 – 26:12) marketplaces as growth engines
* how two-sided platforms attract developers and users simultaneously.
* why ecosystems outscale linear marketing spend.
(26:12 – 28:03) the economics of connectivity
* how integrated customers spend more and churn less.
* why marketplaces fund continuous product expansion.
(28:03 – 30:03) acquisition without advertising
* how partners bring in pre-qualified users.
* why platforms avoid the attention auction entirely.
(30:03 – 31:49) ai changes distribution
* how agents invoke tools instead of browsing websites.
* why availability and compatibility replace persuasion.
(31:49 – 34:13) infrastructure as the new moat
* how being callable by ai defines relevance.
* why disconnected tools become invisible to machines.
(34:13 – 36:15) ecosystems as competitive fortresses
* how layered integrations create massive exit costs.
* why platforms outlast better standalone products.
(36:15 – 38:33) designing for elpg
* how api first architecture enables partner adoption.
* why products must be built around workflows, not screens.
(38:33 – 40:29) ecosystem-driven growth strategy
* how integrations replace traditional marketing channels.
* why partners become an extension of the product team.
(40:29 – 41:30) the new definition of pmf
* why other software needing you matters more than users liking you.
* how structural embedding creates generational advantage.
(41:30 – 42:32) measuring real ecosystem strength
* how integration-sourced users reveal true leverage.
* why net revenue retention signals dependency.
(42:32 – 43:15) the future of software
* how ai agents will dominate workflow execution.
* why only deeply embedded products will survive the machine economy.
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