The real question
"Build vs buy" is the wrong framing because it implies a binary. Almost every AI feature in 2026 is assembled — you buy the model, you buy some infrastructure, and you build the thin layer of logic and data that makes it yours. The real question is: which layer is your competitive advantage, and which is a commodity you should never have written?
The four axes
1. Is it core to your differentiation?
If a customer would choose you because of how this works, build it. If it's table stakes everyone has, buy it. You don't earn points for building your own auth, transcription or vector database.
2. Does it depend on your proprietary data?
If the value comes from data only you have, the logic around it is yours to build. If it runs on public knowledge a vendor already has, buy it — they'll out-invest you.
3. What's the cost of switching later?
Buying is fast but creates lock-in. Build the parts where being trapped would be fatal; buy the parts you could swap in a weekend. Keep a clean interface either way.
4. Do you have the team to maintain it?
A build isn't done at launch — it's done when you stop needing it. If you can't staff ongoing maintenance, buying is the honest choice.
When to buy
- The capability is a solved commodity (speech-to-text, OCR, generic chat, embeddings).
- A vendor's scale gives quality you can't match.
- You need it live this month and a build would take a quarter.
When to build
- It runs on your proprietary data or workflow.
- It is the product, or the reason customers pick you.
- Vendor economics break at your scale, or lock-in is existential.
The hybrid path (almost always the answer)
Buy the foundation model and infrastructure. Build the orchestration, the data layer, the evaluation and the product experience. Wrap every bought component behind an interface you control so you can swap vendors without a rewrite.
Build your moat. Buy your plumbing. Never confuse the two.
If you're staring at a build-vs-buy decision and want a second opinion from people who've shipped both, that's a good first call to have.