Twitter also started out as a niche product "for the nerds": early adopters drive mass adoption. The fact that Twitter is a firmly entrenched player doesn't stop us from competing with a better, simpler product.

I completely agree that "open" is not the great differentiator that will attract endless droves of users. While it makes the platform more attractive to developers and those who share this mindset, the average user's priority is neither owning their data nor using "open" technologies. What we do have, however, is the opportunity and enthusiasm to build something new and exciting with a community of greatly talented individuals.