“we always do like Tech swap cuz he sees my photos that suddenly look much better on Twitter my AI photos and he ask me man what are you doing now and I and we give each other hints so we say like man maybe look at this feature and try this... but we're not competing because he's doing head shots and I don't want to do head shots”

Befriend your direct competitor — swap tactical notes and both grow faster

Pieter and Danny Postma run overlapping AI photo products and DM tactical notes regularly. The trick: niche differently enough (Danny = headshots, Pieter = general photo studio) that you're not zero-sum, then share what's working. Both grow faster than either would alone. Identify 1-2 competitor-peers, separate the niche cleanly, and exchange honest specifics. The market is bigger than either of you, and the relationship is its own moat.