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Vendor lock-in refers to a situation where the cost of switching to a different vendor (or an in-house solution) is so high that the customer is essentially stuck with the original vendor. This is a problem not only for customers but also for companies offering software (especially startups): For customers, they run the risk of being stuck with a vendor even if their service quality declines, they change their product focus, they increase their pricing - or worst case - they run out of business. As a result, startups have to design their software to minimise these risks.