> people are centralized on a handful of providers
Still better than a closed protocol. The fact that Google knows everbody can switch away from Gmail without any real downsides for sure keeps them in check. There are no real network effects for one company to take advantage of, unlike it is the case with closed protocol systems like WhatsApp.
>The fact that Google knows everbody can switch away from Gmail without any real downsides for sure keeps them in check
They do? Changing your email address across every service provider you use is a colossal pain in the ass, and that's when they let you change your email address.
You can just forward incoming email to your old Gmail account to your new email account and take your sweet time to update your old emails all over the internet.
Still better than a closed protocol. The fact that Google knows everbody can switch away from Gmail without any real downsides for sure keeps them in check. There are no real network effects for one company to take advantage of, unlike it is the case with closed protocol systems like WhatsApp.