This is annoying for all the reasons typically cited...but what if amazon (or someone big like amazon) actually dove full-head into leveraging/supporting the matrix protocol as the foundation of their messaging product/service? And before anyone replies with "but then amazon wouldn't get their intended walled garden/controlled silo"...i beg you to ponder the notion that amazon has AWS - basically servers/services for hire - but that didn't stop microsoft, google, etc. from starting competing (similar) services. Imagine a future where amazon creates "chat as a service" based on matrix. Sure some firms/individuals won't need more than their own self-hosted instance...but enterprises - already experienced with aws - can add on pro hosted chat (a la matrix protocol). Amazon could even contribute to the mattrix project, even if only to feel like they're helping to steer the software updates to benefit their company. Overall everyone wins:
* Amazon doesn't need to develop a new chat system from scratch.
* They can make plenty of money hosting matrix instance servers for private individuals and more importantly enterprises (read: cha-ching!).
* By contributing to matrix project, amazon can "feel good" about to contributing to open source.
* Amazon gets free on-boarding of potential new customers. Use-case: small business sets up their own matrix instance...eventually outgrows that, then turns to AWS, and voila, they migrate their instance to the official/supported AWS matrix instances.
* If matrix - like email - were to eventually become a more widespread de facto messaging/chat protocl, AWS would be leagues ahead of other competitors.
* There is also incentive for the competion (microsoft, google), if Amazon starts this, because like AWS, the others would compete with their own chat/messaging platforms, but enterprise customers would have an easier migration curve - because all chat/messaging would be based on matrix...not unlike email platform migrations today.
Maybe my thoughts above are pipe dreaMS...but beyond the feel good aspects, i firmly believe there are possibilities for businesses to make good amounts of money in this space...and all due to a very good default protocol.