Folks think the “embrace” part of embrace, extend, extinguish applies only to the technology itself. It’s doesn’t. It also applies to the people prominent within it. Their legitimacy is essential for it to work. They’re told “come, sit at the big boys’ table with us” and “don’t listen to the naysayers, they’re just jealous of how popular we can make you.”
Last time I experienced this, the person in question who sold out got an OBE out of it. Which is rather fitting, when you think about it.