Nostr can still turn bad — it’s just much harder than with centralized companies. The good thing is, if someone doesn’t like the direction it’s heading, they can fork it, create their own rules, and let users decide which version they prefer by simply using the one that suits them best. No single entity can force its will on everyone.
Discussion
It's just a dumb protocol for sharing data via relays. The nip repo itself would have to be corrupted in order for a fork to happen.
Corps in nostr have to share data with other corps, which makes it much harder to be evil. The power of modern corps and what creates monopoly is the data they silo.
Yes, you are right.
But 30 years ago HTTP was just a protocol too. During last decades some tech corps built on it and end creating data silos and walled gardens that made them become the biggest and most powerful corps in the world.
You are right that nostr fights against those data silos. But corps' thirst for money is very strong, so I won't discard their abilities and creativity.
We'll see how this evolves when (if) nostr starts getting traction.