...but if history repeats itsself with software and equity firms it will also go to h@ll in a handbasket
Ironically this happens with open source as well (open source programs don't have to be for free (something like Ardour, to get binaries(especially for Windows/Mac) have to pay or compile yourself and for those platforms not quite as easy). And companies can even buy open source projects and change their licensing and add undesirable stuff to things (think Muse Group buying Audacity (although if I recall correctly, they did reverse course on one big no-no). The other thing that has happened is take something like Aseprite (may or may not know about unless do retro style 2D game dev work or keep up with that area) and they went from open source to source available, which comes with it's own caveats (but when things like this happen, usually a fork happens during the last version of the old license (in this case, libresprite)).
Why I am a firm believer in also having in house tooling (and there are a multitude of ways of doing that with open source libraries, some even very easy, even with languages that are thought of as more difficult)). Of course, even with my liking my tech as much as I do, it just makes me want to break out the Speedball, Ames and various other "analog" tools and go back to the way it was (which I am doing a mixture of both, but at least with the analog tools, don't have an RFID DRM for subscription to those yet (emphasis on yet).
I think this industry is in the beginning of another huge change and it's gonna be tough on the small shops. It is quite possible that in house design/layout go away from this industry as people shift to wholesale volume printing and fabrication.
I think there is a lot of headwinds coming in for a lot of industries that are going to cause a shakeup. Most not for the best. I believe that knowledge will actually take a hit even more, certainly for the next generation or two "artists/designers" that are going to be coming out. I don't see quality getting better and I think it will be harder for the small/indie type of businesses out there. Brave new world, at least it better me.