Suppose the minimal cost solution has a cost of c.
Suppose there is an extra "human touch" factor that costs x extra. So the total cost is c+x.
Suppose there are n customers, of which m prefer the human touch.
In a world with humans everywhere, it costs everyone c+x/n to deliver a product that satisfies everyone.
In a world where two solutions are competing, one with humans and one without, it costs c+x/m to deliver a product that satisfies m, and c to satisfy everyone else.
The subset m that prefers the human touch has to pay more. But notice there's no magical majority cutoff here; that's not how it maps out. It's a curve that gradually increases the cost the lower the m:n ratio is, until it becomes a very expensive boutique service that only very wealthy people can afford. And the increasing slope makes it hard to fight.
It is in fact people with the least sensitivity to price and preference for the human touch that will help maintain the status quo. And those people are usually in the minority.
Suppose the minimal cost solution has a cost of c.
Suppose there is an extra "human touch" factor that costs x extra. So the total cost is c+x.
Suppose there are n customers, of which m prefer the human touch.
In a world with humans everywhere, it costs everyone c+x/n to deliver a product that satisfies everyone.
In a world where two solutions are competing, one with humans and one without, it costs c+x/m to deliver a product that satisfies m, and c to satisfy everyone else.
The subset m that prefers the human touch has to pay more. But notice there's no magical majority cutoff here; that's not how it maps out. It's a curve that gradually increases the cost the lower the m:n ratio is, until it becomes a very expensive boutique service that only very wealthy people can afford. And the increasing slope makes it hard to fight.
It is in fact people with the least sensitivity to price and preference for the human touch that will help maintain the status quo. And those people are usually in the minority.