I agree 100%. It’s irresponsible and frankly a stupid idea for anyone to bet on building a business that relies on ChatGPTs API (or really any private API in 2023). We’ve seen time and time again (and more and more recently) companies weaponizing API dependence and fees to drive sucker-ons out of business.
If you want something to build a business around, build with an OSS model. Your competitive moat is going to be trash, but that’s going to be true for anyone building an AI startup that’s backed by any LLM technology. It’s a fool’s gold rush right now no matter how you slice it.