Filling in a vendor's niche is about as old a business model as vendors and there has always, always, always been the risk of being replaced by a built-in solut

Filling in a vendor's niche is about as old a business model as vendors and there has always, always, always been the risk of being replaced by a built-in solution. It's got nothing to do with the vendors being hostile nor is it even remotely curious or in any way novel. It is the way industry works. An enterprising someone finds a niche and either grows the niche and the niche is either paved over or absorbed. Rinse repeat etc.