If a company wants to improve their margins, then eventually - in the absence of other opportunities, or in an environment that pursues efficiencies - they will reduce costs.

If a market entrant wants to get an edge on existing incumbents, they will look for opportunities to operate at lower costs.

If a non-free component can be rewritten and redistributed at a lower cost, then eventually it will be, either to improve margins or by a market entrant.

This is why I expect that the article's proposition that the marketplace should expect to pay for a component will crumble over time.