Hedgeye Podcasts Platform Paradigms | A Fireside Chat with Sam Rahman
Jan 24, 2026
Sam Rahman, a portfolio manager specializing in technology platform strategy and AI impacts, breaks down platform moats and how AI reshapes device interaction. They explore Apple–Google ties, agentic commerce and travel booking shifts. Discussion covers distribution, compute/privacy tradeoffs, fulfillment advantages, and how ads and monetization might change with agent-driven discovery.
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Longstanding Analyst–PM Conversation
- Sam and Andrew traced their conversations back to discussions about Netflix in 2016 and ongoing tech themes.
- Their long-running dialogue helped shape strategic perspectives about platform winners over a decade.
Agent Layer As The New Abstraction
- Apple partnering with Google's Gemini likely marks a landmark shift toward agentic interfaces as the new abstraction layer.
- That agent layer can supplant app-based interactions and redefine how users access services on devices.
Three Pillars Define Platform Moats
- Platform strength comes from a three-way integration of software, hardware/compute, and proprietary data.
- Companies that combine these three elements create durable moats that are hard to disintermediate.
