In a recent LinkedIn post, Yonathan Cohen explores a fundamental shift in how businesses must approach product development and user engagement in the age of artificial intelligence. Cohen argues that companies are missing a critical strategic pivot by merely adding AI features, rather than embedding their existing products into AI-driven workflows.
Cohen highlights a significant change in user behavior, moving away from dedicated app logins towards leveraging AI interfaces like Claude and ChatGPT for results. He posits that the traditional model of users opening an app to achieve a specific outcome is becoming obsolete.
“People used to open your app to get a result. Now they open Claude or ChatGPT for the same result.”
This observation, according to Cohen, underscores a crucial point: the product that necessitates a login is at a disadvantage compared to one that seamlessly integrates into a user’s existing AI interaction environment. He frames this distinction as the difference between a ‘feature’ that keeps users within a product’s confines and a ‘Skill’ that places the product directly inside the user’s workflow.
The ‘Skill’ vs. ‘Feature’ Paradigm
Yonathan Cohen elaborates on what it means for a product to become a ‘Skill’ within an AI workflow. He suggests this involves making proprietary data accessible and actionable through natural language prompts, rather than requiring users to navigate complex dashboards. This approach aims to streamline operations by allowing users to execute workflows directly within conversational AI interfaces, eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications or browser tabs.
Cohen emphasizes the immediacy of this new paradigm. As he notes:
“Your product, usable the second someone asks, before any onboarding.”
This means that the value proposition shifts from a product’s features to its accessibility and integration. The friction of onboarding and login screens becomes a barrier when users are increasingly accustomed to getting instant results from AI assistants.
The New Landscape of User Engagement
The sheer scale of AI adoption presents a stark reality for businesses, as Cohen points out. With over a billion people now actively working within platforms like Claude and ChatGPT, these AI interfaces are becoming the primary digital workspace for a significant portion of the global workforce.
Cohen argues that these users are unlikely to return to traditional login screens for their needs. He draws a parallel to the transformative impact of the internet itself:
“The browser made you a destination. Claude and ChatGPT make you a Skill, or make you invisible.”
In essence, Cohen’s analysis suggests that companies must adapt by becoming an integral part of the AI ecosystem. Products that fail to transition from being a standalone destination to becoming an embedded ‘Skill’ risk becoming irrelevant in this rapidly evolving digital landscape. The strategic imperative, according to Cohen, is to meet users where they are – increasingly, within the conversational interfaces of advanced AI models.
📝 About This Content
This article is based on insights shared by Yonathan Cohen on LinkedIn.
📅 Originally posted on June 9, 2026 | View original post on LinkedIn →