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Startups grow by giving users unlimited free access, only to start charging for that access once they've grown big enough. Such users should expect companies to

Startups grow by giving users unlimited free access, only to start charging for that access once they've grown big enough. Such users should expect companies to revoke the free access. Such companies should expect bad press for doing so.

pdntspa 4y ago
> Startups grow by giving users unlimited free access, only to start charging for that access once they've grown big enough. Yet another example of how we've normalized dishonesty and deception.
- thih9 4y ago
  What do you suggest instead? Should companies that offer a free plan have legal obligation to continue the service for at least three years? Also, how is that deception? Most startups never claim that their plans will be forever free and unlimited. How I see it, free comes with risks. If you want less risk, choose a paid service. (Obviously the situation is different for open source projects that don’t have money and that are already run by volunteers.)
  - pdntspa 4y ago
    It's the drug-dealer sales model. "First hit's free, dude!" Which is bullshit. Either you offer a generous free tier in perpetuity and get all the nice things that come with that, or you don't, and build goodwill some other way.
    - thih9 4y ago
      Are companies obliged to offer goodwill for free?
      - pdntspa 4y ago
        You know, I think they should, now that you mention it. This idea that time is money, that everything a company offers should be compensated, is bullshit. The tech industry -- especially startups -- got to where they are today all the goodwill of nerds and early-adopters, and they would constantly ply them with free stuff so that it would plant seeds in their minds that would later blossom to convince the decisionmakers to buy their product. But it also had the effect of empowering entire generations of future tech workers, by giving them hands-on experience that later translates to useful employees and loyal customers. Microsoft is said to have a similar idea by not cracking down on Windows piracy too hard ... better they're running a pirated copy of Windows than Linux or Mac! So yes, companies should give their stuff away for free. There is too much focus on dollars and money with how they operate, it's like we forget that they are made of people and that they SERVE other people (their customers). Everything having its price is an extrene sense of entitlement on behalf of management
        thih9 4y ago
        I appreciate the detailed reply. Offering free hands-on experience seems like a version of “work for exposure”; even if it can be effective at times for a given company, I’d say on a larger scale it makes the market less healthy. E.g. it might give unfair advantage to larger companies that can afford to offer free services; smaller businesses might have more trouble with growth and getting recognised.

pdntspa 4y ago

> Startups grow by giving users unlimited free access, only to start charging for that access once they've grown big enough. Yet another example of how we've normalized dishonesty and deception.

thih9 4y ago
What do you suggest instead? Should companies that offer a free plan have legal obligation to continue the service for at least three years? Also, how is that deception? Most startups never claim that their plans will be forever free and unlimited. How I see it, free comes with risks. If you want less risk, choose a paid service. (Obviously the situation is different for open source projects that don’t have money and that are already run by volunteers.)
- pdntspa 4y ago
  It's the drug-dealer sales model. "First hit's free, dude!" Which is bullshit. Either you offer a generous free tier in perpetuity and get all the nice things that come with that, or you don't, and build goodwill some other way.
  - thih9 4y ago
    Are companies obliged to offer goodwill for free?
    - pdntspa 4y ago
      You know, I think they should, now that you mention it. This idea that time is money, that everything a company offers should be compensated, is bullshit. The tech industry -- especially startups -- got to where they are today all the goodwill of nerds and early-adopters, and they would constantly ply them with free stuff so that it would plant seeds in their minds that would later blossom to convince the decisionmakers to buy their product. But it also had the effect of empowering entire generations of future tech workers, by giving them hands-on experience that later translates to useful employees and loyal customers. Microsoft is said to have a similar idea by not cracking down on Windows piracy too hard ... better they're running a pirated copy of Windows than Linux or Mac! So yes, companies should give their stuff away for free. There is too much focus on dollars and money with how they operate, it's like we forget that they are made of people and that they SERVE other people (their customers). Everything having its price is an extrene sense of entitlement on behalf of management
      - thih9 4y ago
        I appreciate the detailed reply. Offering free hands-on experience seems like a version of “work for exposure”; even if it can be effective at times for a given company, I’d say on a larger scale it makes the market less healthy. E.g. it might give unfair advantage to larger companies that can afford to offer free services; smaller businesses might have more trouble with growth and getting recognised.