The Vanishing Middle

Ten years from now, consulting has two price points. Premium. And free.

You're not wrong to feel the squeeze. The middle is disappearing.

Here's what's happening: organizations choosing Path B (AI generates, human rubber-stamps) race to the bottom on price. If the output is commodity, prices are commodity. If your judgment isn't in the product, why pay for your judgment?

Organizations choosing Path A (human frames, AI accelerates, human refines) charge premium rates. Their people get sharper. Their outputs contain context the AI can't generate. Clients pay for what they can't automate themselves.

The mid-tier firms that charged mid-tier rates? They're being squeezed from both ends. Too expensive to compete with Path B commodity shops. Too shallow to compete with Path A expertise firms.

This isn't theory. Watch legal services. Watch marketing. Watch financial analysis. The bifurcation is already happening.

You don't have to pick premium. But you can't stay in the middle. The market is choosing for you while you're waiting.

The Apprenticeship Problem explains one reason Path B firms won't survive long-term: they're cutting the pipeline that creates expertise.

Pick a lane. Premium or commodity. The middle ground you're standing on is shrinking. The Context Flow maps which direction you're headed.