[Old_Thrashbarg]

I think the tech world's use of the word "commodity" is interesting. "becoming a commodity" really means "fail to establish a monopoly".

[hopler]

That's what commodity means in economics, up to the level of precision implied by your statement.

www.investopedia.com/terms/c/commodity.asp

[Old_Thrashbarg]

I think most people understand commodity as things like: iron ore, sugar, rice, chemicals, raw materials.

For example, take a Toyota Prius. Most people would not think of that as a commodity. It also is not a monopoly. If Toyota Prius where a software tech startup, they would be bemoaning the fact that they have become a "commodity" (read: it's become a competitive market where consumers have choice between differentiated goods).