Comment by Frieren

5 hours ago

> why subscription mania took hold over the last decade,

I don't see business to business subscriptions as a bad thing. It it a way of sharing risks. The horrifying thing is that they do that to consumers.

Consumers don't have the legal teams to analize such contracts. Consumers do not have people dedicated to evaluate prices and change providers (Even for companies is costly, so individuals get stuck in products they do not use anymore). Subscriptions change prices and conditions at will, what makes it impossible for a normal consumer to follow up on everything that changes over time.

The fact that even when you theoretically buy, like a phone or even a TV, also becomes a subscription because the software it runs needs updates.

Subscription models that may make sense for corporations are killing the working class ability to own things or even choose which business they want to buy from. It is just about capturing customers and not letting them leave as prices are pushed up.