The notion that monolithic tech actually scales is not a given. The strategy typically used to disrupt an industry is to provide a convenience for free that act

The notion that monolithic tech actually scales is not a given. The strategy typically used to disrupt an industry is to provide a convenience for free that actually costs the company something. These costs (and liabilities) are familiar to the incumbent. That institutional knowledge disappears upon a successful disruption. The startup will now be faced with learning these things over again, “breaking things” in the process. Once enough growth has happened, monetizing via ads or increased pricing occurs. After this, you may have to squint your eyes a bit to tell if the situation before was all that much worse- or merely consisted of a different set of trade-offs. Uber comes to mind. Facebook as well.