You're not thinking general enough. Once merit no longer becomes an effective moat individuals, organizations and entities turn to violence. In the modern wor

You're not thinking general enough. Once merit no longer becomes an effective moat individuals, organizations and entities turn to violence. In the modern world this means cozying up to government who has the monopoly on violence and getting competition regulated away if not in full then at least fractionally with barriers to entry. I would be unsurprised if over the next 40yr the software industry does the same thing by adopting professional organizations that get themselves written into law the way various other professions have.