The Internet Ruined Customer Service. AI Could Save It.

• Internet scaled commerce infinitely; customer experience got worse.
  • Human attention scales linearly — millions of customers become ticket numbers.
  • 4,000-year-old cuneiform complaint proves dissatisfaction is not new.
• Two models: scale (Amazon/Uber) vs. concierge (Hermès) — AI collapses the divide.
• Cost of quality attention → zero; every business becomes concierge.
• Decagon (a16z portfolio): 80%+ deflection, CSAT up, not down.
  • Chime: 60% cost reduction + doubled NPS simultaneously.
• Jevons Paradox: cheaper service unlocks entirely new relationship categories.
  • Analogous to email — didn’t replace mail, created new communication primitives.

Sarah Wang (a16z Growth) · 2026-03-18 · Read on a16z.com