> The problem isn't that locked-down devices exist - it's that we don't have enough truly open alternatives for those who want them.

Not for lack of trying. See for yourself

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_open-source_mobile_p...

The list is not short.

Plenty of companies have attempted this over the years but it’s not obvious that a big enough customer base exists to support the tremendous number of engineering hours it takes to make a phone. Making a decent smart phone is really hard. And the operations needed to support production isn’t cheap either.