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>Not quite. Anyone can still start a website and sell a product without a digital overlord. In fact, there are less barriers to entry than there were a decade ago. Most people choose to give control to companies like Amazon because it's easier and more convenient.

The story of diapers.com cogently illustrates the fate awaiting those who believe that there are no barriers to competing with amazon:

https://slate.com/technology/2013/10/amazon-book-how-jeff-be...

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"https://www.vox.com/2017/3/29/15112314/amazon-shutting-down-...

If a 550 million dollar acquisition is my fate after trying to compete with Amazon, I would look forward to it.

"... complex networks produce extremes of inequality, winner-take-all or winner-take-most distributions.", you would indeed become richer, society, not quite.

No problem, just try to make sure you have enough cash reserves to be able to keep up with Amazon in a price war and you also started in 2005 back when Amazon was still small and couldn't crush you like a bug.

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