My view is that the ultra-sized software companies (Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Uber) have huge headcounts because they have realized something important a

My view is that the ultra-sized software companies (Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft, Uber) have huge headcounts because they have realized something important about software: There's no upper limit to the amount they can produce, and by producing more they're able to provide more and more tailored solutions for more and more hyper-specific use cases, which is needed to acquire and retain users at the kind of scale they deal with. Apple is one notable exception to this, because their product philosophy is one of a centrally designed, "artisanal" user experience.