Outside of specialized niches, toll booths exist due to network effects.
Most of the revenue for Adobe is not due to individuals who need a competent standalone tool. It’s for organizations that need all of the usual qualities:
1) continuity with prior work (my old projects open properly, last year’s training is still relevant)
2) being able to hire/train employees on the tool
3) collaborating externally
4) interoperability across work products (eg vector, raster, video, etc)
You are not getting any of that from someone’s vibe coded weekend project.
Most of the revenue for Adobe is not due to individuals who need a competent standalone tool. It’s for organizations that need all of the usual qualities:
1) continuity with prior work (my old projects open properly, last year’s training is still relevant)
2) being able to hire/train employees on the tool
3) collaborating externally
4) interoperability across work products (eg vector, raster, video, etc)
You are not getting any of that from someone’s vibe coded weekend project.