In tech we are all, ultimately, parasites. As Drupal creator Dries Buytaert’s said years ago, we are all more “taker” than “maker.” Buytaert was referring to common practice in open source communities: “Takers don’t contribute back meaningfully to the open source project that they take from,” hurting the projects upon which they depend. Even the most ardent open source contributor takes more than she contributes.
This same parasitic trend has played out for Google, Facebook, and Twitter—each dependent on others’ …