Serf: But we don't own it.
King: You need to improve your soft skills.
Serf: Sir, we don't own it.
King: You need to realize that you're going to starve if you don't start farming now.
Serf: Sir, how much of the food will you take for working on your land?
King: Don't worry about the agrarian debt or vendor lock. Think of me as a land-as-a-service provider.
Serf: But...
King: I already have deals with farm tools to offer you at a discount! $40 a month with $0.01 per pound of food created! Also, friendly reminder of soft skills..
Serf: Well, sir... I... I guess my farm has yet-to-be-proven...
You can't differentiate your product if you are the product. Tech service startups are just renters of digital property they can never own. They're the street shops of the internet.