It's permission-less because you participate as a node in the network without anyone granting you permission to do so. You don't have to spend thousands to be

It's permission-less because you participate as a node in the network without anyone granting you permission to do so. You don't have to spend thousands to be a bitcoin miner. You can use any old computer. Making a profit is a different story. Still, resources can be pooled together to buy a competitive mining rig for a few grand. Even then, a few thousand dollars is realistically not a large entry fee for anything. Wiring your house for Internet access would cost around that much if it wasn't subsidized.