I don't know if it really plays out like that, though I hope so. Many businesses are mega successful in spite of incredibly poor or inefficient technical execution. I don't know if it really matters so long as customers get the thing they want for the price they're willing to pay.

I think this matters even less in higher tech companies, because they're not playing in the margins where an inefficiency can hurt. Though perhaps ironically, I think AI providers really are in a realm where technical execution at the margins will make or break them.