Is this really different from traditional software? Downloading postgres is free. Running it is not. You either buy hardware and assume the costs of owning and running that, or you pay to run it in the cloud.
IE, a lower param OpenAI/Anthropic model can compete with a higher param open source model.
So even if you are an American company who downloaded Chinese models in hopes of saving in cost, you still have to beat OpenAI and Anthropic in $/task which is very tough to do over the long run.
Over time, this compounds. More profits means more investments. More market share means more control.
There being squeezed by their own stock pumping and SpaceX pretending to be an AI company is driving down the exit strategy. I’m guessing one starts going full Theranos and begins claiming full AGI or gets the US government to government cheese then hard. It’s going to be a few crazy months.