---
id: "quote-ai-coming-for-customers"
type: "quote"
source_timestamps: ["§ The Long Game"]
tags: ["executive-warning", "disruption"]
related: ["concept-habit-moat", "contrarian-ai-not-for-employees"]
speaker: "Yuanyuan Gina Cui, Patrick van Esch and Jan Kietzmann"
speakers: ["Yuanyuan Gina Cui", "Patrick van Esch", "Jan Kietzmann"]
sources: ["attention"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-attention"
originDay: 4
articleStem: "hbr-tier2-07-chinese-ai-firms-habits"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2026/06/lessons-from-chinese-ai-firms-on-owning-customers-habits"
sourceTitle: "Lessons from Chinese AI Firms on Owning Customers’ Habits"
---
# AI is coming for the moment customers reach for you

## Quote — "AI is coming for the moment your customers reach for you"

> "AI is not coming for your employees. It is coming for the moment your customers reach for you. If that moment starts passing through someone else's AI, what's left for your employees to do may matter far less."

— jointly attributed to [[entity-yuanyuan-gina-cui]], [[entity-patrick-van-esch]], and [[entity-jan-kietzmann]]

**Context:** The executive gut-punch that anchors [[contrarian-ai-not-for-employees]] and the strategic urgency of the [[concept-habit-moat]].


## Related across articles
- [[contrarian-moats-become-liabilities]]
- [[concept-buyer-seller-role-inversion]]
- [[quote-behavior-vs-intent]]