I’m inclined to agree, at least initially. I suspect it’ll depend on how much demand and competition there is in the field once it’s democratized. The other consideration is extraneous factors (e.g. soaring price of meat due to climate change) that could make lab-grown the cheapest/best option eventually.
I generally agree, but one counter example I keep thinking of is Wikipedia. Massively successful site with few rivals despite being a nonprofit. I imagine a social media app could build some degree of success with that model. The main obstacles to my mind are a good UI/UX and a community funding approach sufficient to keep ahead of growth. It’s not yet clear whether Lemmy is “the one” to provide either. As great as the fediverse concept is, it’s harder to use and to consolidate funding for than it perhaps should be.