In this 'Snips' episode, I unpack some of the most thought-provoking ideas from tech analyst Benedict Evans’ recent interview on The Knowledge Project, specifically his comparison of AI to the invention of the iPhone. Not electricity. Not the Industrial Revolution. The iPhone. And the second-order effects of that comparison are much more relevant than you might think for retail media and the future of commerce.

I explore what this platform shift means for retailers, retail media networks, and the shopping journey as we know it. From behavior resets to disappearing data moats, to the existential risk facing both onsite and offsite RMN revenue, I break down why AI-enabled shopping represents a genuine unbundling of the retail experience, and why the window to respond is rapidly closing.

This episode is sponsored by Mirakl Ads

Timeline

[00:22] – Why Benedict Evans compares AI not to electricity, but to the iPhone (and why that matters).
[01:37] – How early assumptions about mobile were completely wrong, and what that teaches us about today’s AI shift.
[03:06] – What retailers are getting wrong by treating AI like a “feature” instead of a platform transition.
[04:30] – Understanding the consumer behavior reset that threatens retail sites as the starting point for shopping.
[06:11] – Why onsite retail media revenue is vulnerable when LLMs intercept the shopping journey.
[10:20] – The shrinking window for retailers to build AI-native consumer habits before external agents capture them.

Links & Resources

Watch the full Benedict Evans appearance on The Knowledge Project Podcast - Why Everyone Is Wrong About AI (Including You) | Benedict Evans
Subscribe to The Knowledge Project Podcast YouTube channel
Follow Benedict Evans on LinkedIn
Read my related articles:
- Have Retailers Lost Discovery to AI for Good?
- Maybe Ads in AI Don't Have To Suck?
I'll be diving into the findings of the Pentaleap H2 2025 Sponsored Products Benchmark report with Pentaleap co-founder and CEO Andreas Reiffen on Thursday December 4 at 11AM ET! Join us LIVE here
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