—software that acts as a customer with a credit card and autonomously shops or transacts—are shifting how businesses operate. Companies like Amazon, Delta, and Yelp are blocking or charging agents to protect ad revenue and upsell margins that agents skip. Isenberg maps nine stages of adoption, from early research through widespread integration, and identifies where trust breaks down, particularly at payment.
The market is moving toward a "Plaid moment" for agent identity and payments, similar to how Plaid became essential infrastructure for fintech. Open startup lanes include agent-readiness tools, vertical solutions (Plaid for specific industries), agent insurance, analytics for agent traffic, and agents designed for specific verticals.
This is an AI-written summary. The original reporting belongs to Greg Isenberg. How we write these · Spot a mistake?