I'm accustomed to thinking in networks and have implemented network algorithms myself before which probably makes it easier to imagine how the lightning network works and what the possible routes for optimizations could be. It's a rather unexplored area (which shows how early we are) and most node implementations use very basic algorithms and heuristics for path finding. I'm happy that Rene Pickhardt's work on payment flows and reliability took off like it did because it's a reminder that the most basic research tools (methods) we have in math and network science aren't being applied on the LN yet. I hope and expect a lot more to happen in this field.

What if electronwall took off? Well, I think before that we'd have to ask whether the Lightning network as it is being "deployed" today is the right and responsible way. Should we be pushing for non-technical people running a node with potentially risky financial software in their homes? Are these people responsible for building a network with random topology? This happens at the same time as big professional node operators are using sophisticated security software and are mainly opening big channels to other big players.

I really don't know but I think the random network approach is not sustainable as long as there is considerable risk in running a node.