Snapchat CEO: Why distribution has become the most important moat | Evan Spiegel

Fifteen years ago, Evan Spiegel learned something that today, with the explosion of artificial intelligence, everyone is finally realizing: software is not a defensive barrier. Any feature, even the most revolutionary one, can be copied in a matter of months by a competitor with more resources. Here's the surprise: today, for those who want to build a product that stands the test of time, the real barrier is no longer technology. It’s distribution. Not the perfect product, not the most sophisticated algorithm. It's the ability to get your idea into the hands of the right people, on a large scale. Spiegel’s argument is clear: The market rewards those who manage to win the attention and trust of users, not just those who invent the new feature. And if you look at the few examples that have truly made it big after Snapchat—TikTok and Threads—the secret is all there. TikTok has invested billions to pay creators and users, literally buying both sides of its marketplace. Threads leveraged Meta's colossal distribution network, which can push a new app to hundreds of millions of users with a single click. On the other hand, those who think that the right product is enough are brought crashing down to reality: today, people download far fewer apps; the hunger for novelty that existed in 2010 no longer exists. Spiegel explains that, in the early days, Snapchat grew not because it was the social network with the most friends, but because it connected people to their closest relationships – their partner, their best friend – instead of trying to connect everyone with everyone. The real strength lay in deep relationships, not quantity. Snap’s identity as an innovator, then, has almost become a double-edged sword: every time they invented something – from Stories to AR glasses – the market copied them. But he makes it clear: I'd rather be copied than be irrelevant. The real defense is to build ecosystems that are difficult to replicate: a platform for creators, a community of AR lens developers, and hardware like Spectacles that no one can clone quickly. And distribution, above all else. Behind the scenes at Snap, the rule is this: If you want to have one good idea, you have to have a lot of them. As soon as you join the design team, you are immediately expected to present work, challenge ideas, produce non-stop—and accept constant criticism. It doesn't matter where you come from or where you've worked; what counts is the variety of what you can offer and the story behind each project. According to Spiegel, a true designer is not someone with a unique, recognizable style—that’s an artist. A designer is someone who knows how to reinvent themselves to meet people's needs, always with empathy and openness. And here comes the second game-changer: Snap’s internal structure is designed to foster dialogue between small, non-hierarchical teams and the larger organization needed to support one billion users. Innovation arises precisely from the tension between these two worlds – the agility of the creatives and the robustness of the system. Spiegel also recounts how, in the early versions of Snapchat, user feedback was crucial – not to follow requests to the letter (“Add a 'Send to everyone' button!”), but to understand real, hidden needs and respond with original solutions, such as Stories, which revolutionized the way people tell their stories online. And there is a historical detail that few remember: the feature that notifies you when someone takes a screenshot, developed one summer at Spiegel’s father’s house, has become a cornerstone of users’ perceived privacy, and it was created precisely to address the skepticism of those who did not believe in disappearing photos. Today, with the advent of artificial intelligence, the real barrier will no longer be the ability to write code or invent features: AI will make it much easier to build products. But as Spiegel points out, no AI can solve the problem of distribution. And even network effects, which once seemed like the ultimate defense, are no longer enough when everything is replicable and value shifts to genuine connections with users. There is a perspective that few consider: while everyone is obsessed with technology, Spiegel argues that the real tipping point will be the ability to put humanity at the center. People don’t blindly embrace new things: there will be a very strong social backlash against some of the changes brought about by AI, and those who don’t take human resistance into account risk failing, even with the most advanced product. In short, the real question is no longer “how do I protect my software?” but “how do I build a bridge between my idea and the world, and how do I create something that people truly want to incorporate into their daily lives?” If you think that having an innovative feature is enough to win, you're already behind: today, the winners are those who can get into the hands of the right people first and in the best way. If this idea has changed your perspective, you can mark it on Lara Notes with I'm In – choose whether it's an interest, an experience, or a belief that now resonates with you. And if, in a few days, you find yourself telling someone how Snapchat beat the giants not with technology but with distribution, on Lara Notes you can tag the people who were with you: Shared Offline is the way to say that that conversation mattered. This Note comes from Lenny's Podcast and saves you 66 minutes.