1/ Putting aside whether Morpho adds value to AAVE or not I can't help but feel this dynamic gives off strong frenemies vibes.

2/ For me, it's reminiscent of the relationship between closed social networks like YouTube and their content creators, such as Mr. Beast.

3/ While YouTube and Mr. Beast ideally complement each other, forming a unified offering (and maybe even one product?) for the end user, there's an underlying competition where each party aims to secure a larger share of the pie. And why wouldn't they? It's natural for us to prioritize our own interests.

5/ This leads me to ponder about the future of Web3. As it continues to evolve, will open-source platforms find themselves at odds with the very developers and applications that build upon them, especially if their success starts to significantly dip into the platform's profits?

4/ However, in this dance of mutual dependency, closed networks wield a suite of potentially unfair advantages, from limiting reach to restricting API access, as history has often shown.