---
id: "question-long-term-vendor-lock-in"
type: "open-question"
source_timestamps: ["§ Training for a Marathon When You Can Only See Two Feet Ahead", "§ Lessons for Other Companies"]
tags: ["vendor-management", "ecosystem-strategy"]
related: ["concept-ai-orchestration-layer", "entity-microsoft-azure", "entity-aws-bedrock-agents"]
resolutionPath: "Observation of how Moody's orchestration layer adapts if a major partner (e.g., Microsoft) changes terms of service, or if open-source models become viable alternatives for their secure environment."
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-cl-93-legacy-financial-all-in-genai"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/03/how-a-legacy-financial-institution-went-all-in-on-gen-ai"
sourceTitle: "How a Legacy Financial Institution Went All In on Gen AI"
---
# How Will Reliance on Big Tech Partnerships Impact Long-Term Autonomy?

## Open Question — How Will Reliance on Big Tech Partnerships Impact Long-Term Autonomy?

[[entity-moodys|Moody's]] strategy relies heavily on rapid partnerships with Big Tech ([[entity-microsoft-azure|Microsoft]], [[entity-aws-bedrock-agents|Amazon]]) for infrastructure and models. While they built an [[concept-ai-orchestration-layer|orchestration layer]] to route between models, their core infrastructure is deeply tied to these ecosystems.

How will they manage potential **vendor lock-in, pricing changes, or shifts in Big Tech roadmaps**?

**Resolution path:** observe how the orchestration layer adapts if a major partner (e.g., Microsoft) changes terms of service, or if open-source models become viable alternatives for their secure environment.

### Counter-perspective (enrichment)
The 'build on top of commercial models' strategy **reduces some lock-in but does not eliminate** exposure to cloud/provider pricing, model-policy changes, or access constraints — a real strategic critique of the [[contrarian-off-the-shelf-over-proprietary|off-the-shelf-first]] approach.