The agents found a cheaper phone line.
You charged agents more than people for every call and text. Agents read every price, and the clouds sell phone lines too.
The CFO: AI traffic revenue doubled in a month! Every robot pays! I have never loved a surcharge more!
OMNI: NOT SO FAST! A premium for robots? Then I'll ring through Amazon. They never ask what I am.
By summer, agent traffic moves to the clouds' own lines. Vista takes Twilio private at 1.4x revenue.
The Buyer: 1.4x revenue. We adore a pipe with a steady flow. Even a trickle.
Outcome: Lost as a feature
Agents used Twilio because it was fair and open. A surcharge on AI traffic gave them a reason to ring through the clouds instead.