The Data Hostage Crisis: Turning the Tables for $0
Henry Kim ·
"True innovation begins when technology becomes transparent, leaving only the benefits."
The reality I faced while developing a restaurant app recently was harsh. This wasn't just a market for buying and selling food; it was an invisible data battlefield. Giant platforms like Uber Eats and SkipTheDishes are no longer surviving on technological superiority, but by holding customer data hostage. They block the data pathways and collect exorbitant fees.
Every time I saw the nearly 40% fees they took, I felt a deep sense of frustration. What if that money were used to improve food quality? Or perhaps returned as direct benefits to customers? I wanted to break this distorted structure. I sought the optimal solution that would embrace the convenience of platforms while allowing each restaurant to possess data sovereignty and stand independently.
After much deliberation, I finally found the key. The answer lay in the fact that with the advent of the AI era, software development costs are converging to zero. The era requiring massive capital to overcome technological barriers is over. The cost is $0. With this $0 revolution, I aim to start a new ecosystem where the focus is solely on the essence of food and the customer, not on technology.