Stage 2: Lock-in

Chromium fork pushing privacy and optional rewards—fewer trackers by default, but still a product with its own wallet, ads narrative, and ecosystem bets.

Strong real-time product for communities, but your social graph and server history are deeply embedded—switching means rebuilding social capital elsewhere.

Collaborative design in the browser; files, libraries, and plugins embed teams so deeply that leaving feels like a migration project.

Flexible docs and databases users love; leaving means migrating templates, permissions, and team workflows—sticky by design.

Team chat that became the default layer for work comms; switching means migrating channels, bots, and ritualized workflows.

Fast clients and huge channels; optional E2EE and a semi-centralized model create a distinct trade-off between freedom and trust in the operator.

Console ecosystem with Game Pass value—great until subscriptions, store rules, and account lock-in define what “ownership” means.

Still user-respecting by default, but growing reliance on the nonprofit’s roadmap and network effects builds soft lock-in.

Dominant PC games client; strong library lock-in and social graph, still delivering real value to buyers.