It has always been the case that API gateways implement a number of "nice to have" features around an API business but always omit the one feature you need to have an API business: payments.<p>My guess is that there's a kind of liability that could come out of being a payment gateway + other features in that situation (e.g. being caught up in a dispute between the customer and vendor) that is avoided when the service is not "batteries included".<p>It reminds me of the myoelectric sensor that you have to solder you own wires to (if you get a shock at least you're some nerd who soldered it on your own.) Or the idea that somebody would gather up your month's worth of medical bills, make sure they are right, pay them, add a processing fee (e.g. maybe $10 on a $100 bill... possibly saving you that much in misbilling.) and then send you ONE bill.<p>Trouble is that if the "one" bill is $150,000 worth of cancer treatment they might find themselves in the health insurance business!
I enjoyed this fascinating read about a software business idea that failed, why it failed, and why the person who tried it still thinks there's the nugget of a viable business in the idea.