One practice that seems relevant is when a large company buys a smaller product which many users depend on, then after a year or two proceeds to kill the produc

One practice that seems relevant is when a large company buys a smaller product which many users depend on, then after a year or two proceeds to kill the product with poor or no replacement options. Some examples: https://ourincrediblejourney.tumblr.com/ https://ourincrediblejourney.tumblr.com/ This seems like a clear-cut case of market failure since it would even be better for society for the company to die and their product to be open-sourced. The fact that VCs focus on exit instead of building a sustainable business seems to at least contribute to this phenomenon.