I don't think this needs to be a dichotomy. Different conditions beget different types of innovation. Interoperable systems evolved things (paradigms, models,

I don't think this needs to be a dichotomy. Different conditions beget different types of innovation. Interoperable systems evolved things (paradigms, models, languages…) that competing ones couldn't, and the opposite is also true. The world needs both, and probably everything in-between.