Is ChatGPT The Next MySpace?

Why today’s AI powerhouse risks repeating an old story

Every era of technology has its king of the hill moment. The question is always the same. Does the early leader stay on top or eventually get replaced by someone faster, cleaner, or more focused? Can companies actually hold onto their first mover advantage?

We’ve seen how often that answer turns out to be no. Yahoo once ruled the internet. Blackberry owned the corporate phone market. MySpace defined an entire social era. Each one looked unbeatable, until they weren’t.

I watched it happen in real time. Yahoo was my homepage. I owned multiple Blackberrys. I had a MySpace page like everyone else. These weren’t niche products. They were the default tools of their moment.

Remember MySpace? It was the place to be. It was the first social network for so many. Customizable profiles, top eight friends, that classic bulletin board feel, and the all-important song you picked for your profile made it the king of social media, with more than 100 million users at its peak.

Then almost overnight, it became a digital ghost town.

MySpace mattered because it was first to scale. It created a new category and captured the world’s attention. But early success only buys you time. It doesn’t guarantee the future.

So the real question is whether AI is about to face its own MySpace moment.