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A polemic arguing that the 'power user' — someone who deeply understands their tools — is being systematically eliminated by platform vendors, algorithmic culture, and abstraction-heavy development practices. The piece traces how iOS and Android deliberately replaced ownership and composability with managed, locked-down appliance models, how consumption-oriented platforms like YouTube and TikTok algorithmically deprioritized deep technical engagement, and how LLMs now enable developers to ship code they don't understand. It argues this erodes the ability to audit tools, maintain resilience against platform failures, and hold tech monopolies accountable. The conclusion calls for individual stubbornness: using the command line, self-hosting, learning network fundamentals, and supporting open protocols like RSS, ActivityPub, and XMPP — not for purity, but to remain a participant rather than a subject of the systems you depend on.