Code escrow doesn't guarantee maintenance either, that would be yet another committment for the company and might increase their operating costs over time as the accumulate more and more zombie products to maintain, potentially leading to failure too.
Isn't maintenance what IoTZombieCo would be contractually obligated to do, though?
Here in the UK new homes often have a 10 year warranty from a third-party insurer, who gets to dictate construction methods to the builder. So the idea of products coming with third-party warranties isn't unprecedented.
