What comes after Open Source?

GitButler raised $17M; I left a snarky comment. It's my all-time most popular. I said we should solve everyday problems instead. 383 upvotes. I also got a lot of explanations on why VC money won't be invested into useful products.

Open Source peaked when one job fed a family. Now the job market's so efficient that few can afford gifting free software to the world after their dayjob. The result:

increasingly shitty commercial software

Microsoft decided $200 customer lifetime value just isn't enough anymore. Apple, too, is introducing OS-wide ads. Users can't vote with their wallets in a hostage situation. There's no alternatives, big investors won't finance a Microsoft- or Apple-killer that cannibalizes their own holdings.

We've all experienced companies prioritizing profits above all else. We hope for Open Source alternatives, but who can afford to build them? Especially now that companies use AI to "re-implement" OSS without licensing restrictions.

Back to shareware?

Start software development co-ops (like Costco, but for apps) ?