[datashovel]

  "...unless you work at Google or Microsoft you can’t meaningfully impact the technical direction of the web"

I think this is a great argument for why we need a (for lack of a better name) "meta-browser". An application on the user's machine that contains and runs browsers. Then flip the control to the developer. If I'm only going to design for [name of obscure but super secure browser], my success doesn't have to be dictated by the fact that 99.99% of users didn't originally open my browser of choice. If they come across a page only supported by this little-known browser, they are prompted that they can install it, or they can decide to move on to the next website if the developers didn't write any fallback.

This doesn't just ensure the web can remain open, but makes the whole architecture (the web itself) an open question and allows all aspects of "the web" to evolve more smoothly.