AI agents & Codex work
Data sovereignty: why you can't depend on one AI platform
By Samuel Michelot · Updated June 2026
Short answer
Every AI company (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google) is losing money subsidizing your subscription to lock you in. Once you're locked in, prices spike. Keep your data—your Second Brain, your SOPs, your context—in files you own. Use multiple AI models. Switch freely. Sovereignty means you're never trapped.
Every AI company subsidizes your subscription today to lock you in tomorrow.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google: they’re losing money on your subscription. Why? Because once you build everything inside their platform, you can’t leave. Then they raise prices.
This is the lock-in playbook.
Avoid it: Keep your data outside any single platform. Use plain text files, standard formats. Store your Second Brain in markdown. Write your SOPs as PDFs. Keep your API integrations lightweight.
Then you can switch models freely. Today Claude, tomorrow Mistral, next year whatever’s better.
Your data is your leverage. Sovereign means you keep it.
Read [[Second Brain in Obsidian]] — plain text = portability.
Frequently asked questions
If I use multiple AI tools, won't that be complicated?
Only if you duplicate context. Keep your Second Brain in plain text files. Any AI tool can read plain files. One source, many tools.
Aren't the big AI companies reliable?
Yes, but they're also companies. If pricing changes or they shut down a feature, you're stuck. Sovereignty means you can switch.
What about GDPR and EU data?
Most US-based AI companies need a data-processing agreement for EU data. Use EU-based models (Mistral, Aleph Alpha) or require Zero Data Retention clauses.
Want this inside your own business?
Simple AI Studio runs a hands-on implementation bootcamp for founders and small teams. You leave with a working AI system, not slides.
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🤖 Drafted with AI, edited by Samuel.