Ok, this is a well documented, but not understood phenomenon. 1. Create value 2. Monetize it 3. Extract as much as you can. All industries are affected. The poster child: Airline industry. Originally, you paid for transportation: a seat, baggage space, food and entertainment. Today, that same model is a financial instrument. 1. Buy a ticket. 2. Pay for advance seating. 3. Pay extra for a better seat. 4. Pay for your check in baggage. 5. Pay for your carry on. 6. Pay for the risk of changing your plans. But wait! There's more. Airlines discovered a trick: loyalty programs. Yes, it turns out that Airlines actually monetize their loyalty programs and make way money monetizing that than they do running physical operations. If things haven't clicked yet, ask any LLM about the economics of Airline frequent flyer miles. It will tell you they make billions off them. Banks are the biggest buyers of points.