How many text editors have you paid for, versus how many have you used for free?

I do think there is room for a few good paid text editors in the world, but most people won't pay directly for them, though they might use them if they are bundled ala Google Docs / O365 Word.

I have paid for Obsidian and Samsung Notes as part of buying a Samsung phone.

I also paid for a few more, e.g. Notion, but I think it's better to focus on: There's definitely value in good text editors.

They can greatly enhance your experience with a system, e.g. if Samsung Notes was amazing I'd be much more likely to stick to using a Samsung phone.

Sure, but I would say you are an outlier in paying for those things. Most people use what's immediately available, others might search for something better that's free, and very few will go pay for something.

That last category of people are also now likely to go create something themselves with AI, but don't really want to or can't start a business from it, so they may add it to the pile of free software others can use.

Not everyone HAS to profit from their work, though I do think those who make it their passion might benefit from finding a way to do that.

Emacs and vi(m) have always been free.