I didn't say monetise it. I said, get paid for running a relay. In the protocol, not some narrow band application.

I am building systems that leverage LN at the protocol level right now. You are reading this on a forum that uses LN for micropayment tips. Remember IPFS? Where is the decentralised static web that it is supposed to enable?

I'm not saying it's not great that people are working on legit fully decentralised social/chat apps.

I'm just saying that the hype is over the top and the real world prospects of success will depend on getting people to run relays and cache content. Zeal is not enough.

There was scores of attempts to do what Satoshi did, before he did. His was the first that made an incentive for a broadly distributed population running the software because they make a living from it directly, or nearly directly.

Without that, it just remains a hobby and a charitable cause.

Without that, eventually the network will be coopted by motivated attackers.