A recurring pattern in the API economy: startups launch with open APIs and generous free tiers to attract developers and prove platform traction, then progressively lock down access as they reach later funding rounds. The openness was never a principle — it was a customer-acquisition tactic with an expiration date. Once enough data and integrations are captured, the math flips and locking data in becomes more valuable than giving access away. This pattern scales up to enterprise giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, whose walled gardens select for integrated-but-mediocre tools over excellent-but-external ones. The advice: if you're building on someone else's open API, assume the closing is coming and own your own data flows. If you're a founder, recognize that every wall built for late-stage investors also caps the platform's ultimate potential.
