Lock-in persists. That’s why it’s so valued by monopolists, tyrants and cults.
The ability to speak up always creates inefficiency. It’s easier to just shut up and drive. Or be driven.
But the ability to speak up is a self-cleaning algorithm. Our freedom to move on, to criticize and to suggest creates the conditions for the system to improve.
It’s tempting to sign up for the one with lock-in. It often comes with bonuses, inducements and the promises of efficiency and dominance.
But it’s not resilient. When the world changes, and it always does, open systems are far less brittle than their shiny counterparts.