"By extension, this means that the most important factor determining success is the user experience: the best distributors/aggregators/market-makers win by providing the best experience, which earns them the most consumers/users, which attracts the most suppliers, which enhances the user experience in a virtuous cycle."
Sadly, the reality of the virtuous circle though is: enshittification.
"...from music to video to books to art; the extent to which being “special” meant being scarce is the extent to which the existence of “special” meant a constriction of opportunity"
I don't get this. Rarity or inaccessibility has been used as marketing tool, sure. But great music and books were not scarce for a long time pre-internet. Feels like a "never mind the quality, feel the width" view of culture.
"LLMs are breaking down all written text ever into massive models that don’t even bother with pages: they simply give you the answer."
When will people stop saying that? The give an answer, yes, but is it the answer: caveat emptor.