Distribution Is the Meta-Moat
The only durable advantage flows through one channel: who controls the path to the customer. If you'd shut down sales for 90 days, would customers still find you?
Most moats are not moats. Better UI is copied in months. Feature velocity is matched by anyone with funding. Model quality is leveled by the next foundation model release. The only durable advantages flow through one channel: who controls the path to the customer.
That makes distribution the meta-moat — the moat under all the other moats. If you own the channel, you can survive a worse product. If you don't own the channel, the best product still loses.
Practical test: if you had to shut down sales for 90 days, would customers still find you? If yes, you have distribution. If no, you have a product looking for a distributor.