Vendor lock-in is everywhere — Wix, Shopify, no-code platforms, even overly restrictive SaaS tools. If you haven’t written the code, don’t truly own or control the product and data, and can’t deploy or host it wherever and however you choose — then you haven’t actually built anything.

So ActionCable needs Redis! Is this the first time Rails is aligning with a vendor product? Why not abstract it like AR/AJ?

One thing that would certainly be a game-changer would be some form of standardized RCS end-to-end encryption that allows secure messages to be sent outside Google Messages.

If you don't—or can't—lock your users in, the best way to compete is to innovate at a breakneck pace. Let's use Google Search as an example. It's a product that cannot lock users in: users don't have to install software to use it; they don't have to upload data to use it; they don't have to sign two-year contracts; and if they decide to try another search engine, they merely type it into their browser's location bar, and they're off and running.

it is far preferable to spend your engineering effort on innovation than it is to build bigger walls and stronger doors that prevent users from leaving