[icodestuff]

It seems like a ridiculously inefficient system you're promoting. Why should companies be forced to risk spending millions developing a product using only a best-guess system as to actual demand for a potential product, when they could have people put their money where their mouth is? Sure, they don't have to use crowdfunding platforms, but if they're not set up to do pre-orders for things themselves, they might judge the platform fees worth it.

The ethics aren't what you say they are either. First, while if a startup crowd funds a product and fails, you're SOL. When a billion dollar company crowd funds a product, even if the platform makes no guarantees, if it fails do deliver then you have recourse against the company. Second, Why should only small players be able to address previously unaddressed markets? Isn't that one of the complaints about big companies, that they ignore small markets? And now that they've got the ability to actually test out a market - and serve it in the process! - that's a bad thing too?