← All essays

Build/buy/no-moat

Essay 05 · When to build, when to buy, when to walk away

Placeholder — replace with the essay body This shell ships with the layout, typography, and navigation in place. The essay text lands here later — swap this block for the real content.

Not every idea deserves a build. The conviction gate returns one of three verdicts — build the core, buy instead, or no moat — and the most valuable answer is often the one that stops you before you start.