This is way more bleak than the reality, IMO. The biggest tech companies are thriving on the back of free software, and producing a bunch of free software thems

This is way more bleak than the reality, IMO. The biggest tech companies are thriving on the back of free software, and producing a bunch of free software themselves in the meantime. Watch this talk by the creator of lichess: https://www.infoq.com/fr/presentations/lichessorg-open-source-success-story/ https://www.infoq.com/fr/presentations/lichessorg-open-sourc.... Do you use Wikipedia? I personally expect free and open software and services to win in the long run. I think we’ll also see more small companies like Craigslist that completely dominate their segment in a way that’s net positive to society without significantly warping our governments. And in some cases, corporations legitimately are the best stewards. I think that’s fine. My point is that I extrapolate current trends very differently than you seem to be. You can start a complicated service easier than ever. We’ve reached a point where it only takes one motivated individual to seed a community, build something truly user-oriented, and completely supplant the corporate/profit-driven alternatives.