The Black Hole Index™ measures the cost of leaving.
A standardised, peer-reviewable instrument that scores how structurally locked-in a platform is — independent of price, market cap, or sentiment.
Cursor enters Black Hole territory at B = 2.80, +0.41 QoQ — surpassing Apple Intelligence as the fastest-tightening platform in the AI universe. Six AI platforms now sit above the event horizon (B > 1.5), up from three in Q3 2025.
BHI is a standardised score measuring how costly it is for a user, organisation, or counterparty to depart a platform — capturing the structural friction of leaving rather than the value of staying.
It is computed as the ratio of capture pressure over escape capacity, evaluated across eleven measurable parameters and re-released every quarter under a transparent rubric.
A 4-minute read on platform lock-in, every quarter.
Released the day after each BHI dataset is published. Free, no tracking, unsubscribe in one click.