I think the analogy just drove off a cliff, or maybe into a firewall.

I disagree. I think we need to put the paddle to the metal and take this baby for a spin. I do think the analogy needs a tune up. Web browsers are not the "automobiles of the information superhighway" because while they let you go forward or go back, they don't let you turn left or right. So clearly, web browsers must be the trains of the industrial revolution, riding on the coast-to-coast rail network which was built in Dot Com Boom and Bust fashion [1]. So I think Silicon Valley will chug along for many years to come. Of course, there's a chance this gravy train could be derailed. Owning all of the train stations has something to do with Monopoly. I'm running out of steam... need more analogies and puns to shovel into the furnace..

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railway_Mania

It autonomously drove into a firewall.