And this why I call it EEE: if Anthropic had simply added HTTP API endpoints with auth, everyone would have copied it, and Anthropic would have no control over the spec, which can keep future contenders out.

The MCP spec is a moat, and we’ve seen this movie before, whether they intended it to be or not. I use it, but I don’t have to like it, i.e. MCP should not exist.

As previously stated [^1], OpenAI can one-up them by simply supporting any API endpoint + auth and it would be way more powerful, no moat to defend against startups. No VC-funded corp can resist a moat.

[^1]: 2025-03-06: https://x.com/petrustheron/status/1897760788116652065?s=46