You're close. It's not Gmail, the product that killed it. It's the business model of "free products." That's because Gmail is not the product - it's a delivery

You're close. It's not Gmail, the product that killed it. It's the business model of "free products." That's because Gmail is not the product - it's a delivery platform that's just useful enough to you to keep using it. The product is ads, and you are not the customer.