Recommender systems have become the most influential machine learning technology in consumer-facing products, with the average active online user receiving hundreds of recommendations daily across news, music, video, e-commerce, and social media. The strategic implication is that recommendation capability is no longer a differentiator for large platforms - it is a baseline expectation. For executives evaluating whether to invest in AI-driven personalization, the relevant benchmark is not whether competitors are using recommenders, but how well-tuned those systems are. The growth trajectory described suggests that platforms without effective recommendation infrastructure will face increasing disadvantage as user expectations continue to rise.