I complete agree that we don't yet have a long-term viable economic model for nostr.

But even as I say it, what is that model for http, smtp, torrent? 

There isn't really one. What we have are killer apps, or more accurately, killer businesses that were built over these protocols.

These businesses are centralised, by their very definition, though they eventually cluster into ecosystems, and perhaps nostr makes that bit interestingly different in that businesses *may not* need to evolve in a cannibalistic, scorched-earth manner in order to be viable, but rather focus on being good at what they offer and good for the ecosystem... 

I think about this a lot as I pursue a business idea on nostr, and as much as I love the enthusiasm, the energy and the relatively high IQ density here, it's also clear that we're not close to escape velocity yet.