AI agents could mark the “beginning of the end of iPhones” as we know it, claims prominent tech investor, philosopher, and CEO of Angelist, Naval Ravikant. In his recent social media post on X (formerly Twitter), Ravikant has sparked an intense debate by claiming that the rapidly advancing AI coding agents are all set to challenge, and even reduce, the iPhone’s long-held market supremacy, especially with AI agents now revolutionising the app development scene.
In his post, Ravikant wrote, “AI coding agents can now deliver one-shot custom apps straight to your phone. It’s the beginning of the end for the iPhone’s dominance.”
The statement holds weight coming from Ravikant, considering his expertise in the domain. It hints at the growing excitement around AI tools that investors and the industry, in general, have been showing, considering all the developments over the last few months. From Bill Gates to Jensen Huang, OpenAI’s Sam Altman to Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, the world now sees AI agents as the future of software, as they all predict an impact on humanity similar to the industrial revolution.
Why Naval Ravikant marks AI coding agents to be iPhone killer
Ravikant’s statement, however, is not just about the broader impact of AI agents on humanity – it’s related to how these agents have changed the way app development happens in today’s economy. For years, Apple has tightly controlled the app development market with its 30% commissions on purchases made via the App Store. This has not only allowed Apple to reap profits from all in-app purchases, but also limited the scope of development and possibilities. This has been one of the reasons behind the landmark dispute between Epic Games and Apple, which eventually led the EU to mandate the latter in opening up its platform to third-party app stores and repositories to bypass its 30% tax.
Apple’s verification process for new apps and updates has also been a concern – something that Tesla and xAI CEO Elon Musk had also pointed out recently.
Naval Ravikant’s post broadly explains that if anyone can instantly create and run custom apps directly on their device without Apple’s approval or distribution hurdles, the economic and technical barriers protecting Apple’s platform could crumble.
Ravikant’s supporters echoed the same in the replies. Some called it “the App Store’s quiet extinction event,” while others predict that the phone itself will become “a dumb terminal” as AI agents act as the new operating system.
Not everyone agrees with ‘end of iPhone’ philosophy
Many users argued that the iPhone’s dominance comes from far beyond the app availability. Critics highlighted Apple’s strengths in hardware integration, privacy protections, seamless ecosystem features like iCloud and AirDrop, and unmatched user trust and polish. One user stated, “The consumer doesn’t care if the app was coded in 2 hours or two years… most people won’t bother making apps for themselves.”
Another user wrote, “Nobody wants to use a vulnerable app with easy attack vectors for data breaching purposes. Domain knowledge still plays a crucial role.”