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the business of operating a Lightning node is open to anyone.
Indeed, this is all that matter. Node operators deserve to earn sats for their effort, don't get me wrong. I run several LN nodes, private and public, for testing or for own use, and I know how are the costs of running them.
What I do not like is the obsession of some operators, that are running them ONLY to have like a "passive income". That's a wrong thinking.
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I agree with you here too.
Trying to passively make money for doing nothing is a foolish way of thinking. I hope lots of people make money on Lightning, with the caveat that it is earned (not given) for doing valuable work.
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Fair point, I do see node operators as businesses that will eventually have to make a profit or close their operations.
The distinction I’d make between node operators making money and banks making money is that the business of operating a Lightning node is open to anyone.
In Canada, we have only 5 major banks and creating a 6th is nearly impossible. All 5 have the exact same service offerings, and no incentive to compete against one another. That leads to awful customer service and incredibly high fees.
I hope LN node operators do make money, but I also hope the barriers to entry remain low. This will lead to intense competition that incentivizes node operators to maintain high uptime, good liquidity, and reasonable fees.