I appreciate your point, but the difference is that in the &quot;monopoly&quot; scenario, the creator is the capturer of value. In the open source case, the creator does not necessarily capture the value. It is others (in the ecosystem, as you suggest) that capture the value. &quot;Building on the shoulders of giants...&quot; So ultimately it depends on your motivations. In the Peter Thiel book, I believe the whole premise was to have an entity that creates and captures.