The Organelle
Captured whole, kept alive forever. The mitochondrion, and the systems integrator that gets absorbed into the client it serves.
The Standing Invitation
Chosen again and again, never owned. Cleaner shrimp, and the boutique specialist a client keeps calling without ever buying.
The Free Ride
One rides, the other never notices. The remora and the shark, and the vendor whose growth costs its client nothing and gives it nothing back.
The Standing Drain
Fed on, never freed. Brood parasitism, and the license or retainer that extracts value without ever compounding a capability for the host.
The Separate Ground
Two rivals stop competing by refusing to compete on the same ground. Darwin's finches, and the generalist firm that survives by specializing.
The Outright Taking
Not captured to be kept alive. Consumed. The platform that acquires a point-solution vendor outright, for parts.