Evans: Meta and Google do not need standalone LLM monetization
Benedict Evans · Benedict Evans: OpenAI’s Moat Problem & the Future of Software · Mar 19, 2026 · at 4:59
Benedict Evans, an independent technology analyst, explains how incumbent tech conglomerates evaluate foundation AI models compared to pure-play AI companies.
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“Because if you are Meta or Google, You've got this whole other highly profitable business, which now needs to have LLMs inside it, powering all sorts of capabilities and features, and you probably want them to be your LLMs rather than somebody else's. But you may not necessarily need to make money from the LLM by itself, any more than Meta. I mean, obviously Meta has a cloud, but Meta doesn't even try and doesn't sell the cloud. They just use it to power their own stuff.”
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