Retention
Retention & Engagement in AI
Retention = f(Activation, Engagement, Resurrection). You cannot work on retention directly — you pull one of three levers. Each requires different metrics, strategies, and investment.
Core thesis
Retention = f(Activation, Engagement, Resurrection). You cannot work on "retention" directly — you pull one of three levers. AI products face the same retention math as every prior tech wave, but with three new realities: switching costs have collapsed, capability jumps every ~7 months, and products fail silently.
Retention strategy sequence
Do not skip this
Use Cases → Retention Metric → Visualize or Analyze Curves → Choose Lever (Activation, Engagement, or Resurrection) → Go Deep.
Explore other frameworks
The AI Growth Imperative
Strategy
AI Growth Defensibility
Strategy
Acquisition Strategy in AI
Acquisition
Monetization & Pricing in AI
Monetization
AI Prototyping
Product
AI-Native Product Teams
Product
Enjoyed this framework? Get more research and field notes in your inbox.
Subscribe to The Agentic Dispatch →