This is one of the fundamental things 37signals doesn't seem to understand. In a winner-take-all market, which includes any market with strong network effects,

This is one of the fundamental things 37signals doesn't seem to understand. In a winner-take-all market, which includes any market with strong network effects, you want to get as big as you can as fast as you can. Charging for the product makes that harder and opens you up to having someone compete against you for free while monetizing indirectly (via ads, affiliate revenue, secondary services, whatever). See also: about.me vs. flavors.me It's like they're constitutionally incapable of recognizing this.