Techno-feudalism is more than that. I noticed in the early 2010s that a friend of mine was essentially a loyal vassal of a former EA exec "game industry legend"

Techno-feudalism is more than that. I noticed in the early 2010s that a friend of mine was essentially a loyal vassal of a former EA exec "game industry legend", and followed him to multiple startups. There were a couple other such retainers, including the nobleman's brother and receptionist / HR manager. I've never played in the start up major leagues, but it sure isn't a meritocracy in regards to who gets funding (or can self-fund). After working in and adjacent to multiple startups of this "game industry legend", I concluded that a lot of his ideas were crap, and his one successful startup had succeeded in spite of him.