There has always been a boom market in messaging going back to ICQ (and maybe earlier). The big problem is: companies want money, so they don't want to make th

There has always been a boom market in messaging going back to ICQ (and maybe earlier). The big problem is: companies want money, so they don't want to make the mistake of IRC as being 100% free and open and decentralized. The cycle will continue for the foreseeable future: people want to communicate, someone creates a new communication app for modern platforms (or a cheaper way of communicating than had come before), old communication apps fall out of fashion, new communication app stagnates, someone creates new communication app for more modern times, rinse, repeat. One day we'll have a majority marketshare 3d telepresence app, a majority marketshare direct mindsharing app, a majority marketshare sensorium sharing app, etc. It's just things people want that we don't have the technical capability (or wider vision) to instantiate into reality yet. As far as "value add" or "marketplaces" built around chat apps, just ask yourself how many AOL Channels are still profitable today. We're stuck living in the times we inhabit, so sometimes there's short term value to capture, but in the longer term, everything fades.