One way would be by implementing features the Lemmy devs have no interest in such as better interoperability with other fediverse platforms. If any added feature turns out to be well received and in demand, it would pressure the others to implement similar.
But what about all the real valuable assets these companies would have these days? Like the multitude of 5 year old PCs, 1990s era Hermann-Miller office furniture, the buildings and land they lease… /s