A product team can make either option look cheap by moving risk outside the spreadsheet. “Buy” hides integration, consent, and exit work; “build” hides ongoing operations and assurance. The useful unit is not monthly software spend. It is cost per safely completed user job, with unresolved risks recorded beside the number.
The current trigger is OpenAI’s July 23, 2026 announcement of Health in ChatGPT. According to OpenAI’s primary post, rollout is to eligible US logged-in users age 18+ on web and iOS; supported connections include medical records and Apple Health; and the dashboard can cover labs, medications, activity, sleep, and other health information. OpenAI states connected data and relevant conversations are not used to train foundation models or target ads. Treat these as attributed vendor statements, not proof that the product meets another team’s requirements.
Gate first, calculate second
Before scoring build, buy, or “do nothing,” apply non-negotiable gates:
Gate
