HA seems to be trying to build the pyramid bottom up, rather than top down.

Currently they have basically integrated everything they can. They have also grown to the point where new integrations get added quickly and effectively.

Their recent aim seems to have been simplification. YAML, while still available, have been pushed out of the learning requirements. There are now more and more GUIs and assistance.

The next step looks to be simplifying this further. At this point, they are approaching the simplicity other products try and start from. The “year of the voice” and the natural language processing that entails are an excellent launch point for this.

In short, they have built an excellent foundation layer. They have now added interfaces with a learning curve shallower than a brick wall. Next they seem to be aiming to add simplified interfaces for Joe public to understand. You’ll still be able to drill down for complex tasks, but that will be a choice, not a requirement.

To me this seems the best way to build a winning solution. The top down approaches seem prone to lock in, or limited capabilities.