“Could it be that the more complex technology becomes, the more money and research is required to reach a new level?”
I think questions like that were asked since the industrial revolution. I remember back in the 1960s the field of optics being considered a dead field for innovation. Settled science. Then came lasers, liquid crystals, LEDs, fiber-optics, optical computing, etc., etc.
Ok. But how many of those could be invented in a garage?
” I remember back in the 1960s the field of optics being considered a dead field for innovation.”
Maybe for you?
I recall reading decades ago about changes in patent filing regulations. The changes made filing more expensive giving corporate thieves the advantage over garage upstarts. The corporations could fund the filing process faster than underfunded upstarts. The change made the news for one day. Since most Americans don't invent, no one complained. Corporate deep state won that round.