The main issue in places where I work would be that it totally eliminates options. Under the old model: - If the company moves away from a particular technolo

The main issue in places where I work would be that it totally eliminates options. Under the old model: - If the company moves away from a particular technology they can just keep an unsupported, but legal, license for the IDE in case they need to fix bugs, etc. - If the company needs to improve cashflow it can defer upgrades - If JetBrains goes out of business, you can keep using the IDE - If JetBrains discontinues the product, you can keep using the IDE - If JetBrains stops delivering worthwhile upgrades, you stop paying to upgrade. - If JetBrains decides to unreasonably increase the upgrade price you stop paying. (edit: Added) The benefits of the new model are: - It's easier to account for the licensing cost as OpEx rather than CapEx, which matters to some businesses. - It's easier to adjust your license costs in-line with your headcount. Hire some contractors? Add a couple of licenses. Downsizing that team? Drop some licenses. Some organisations will consider that to be a beneficial trade-off, but many won't.