54 votes

The AI lifestyle subsidy is going to end

9 comments

  1. [9]
    diskroll
    Link
    Reminds me of when venture capitalists paid for my movie theater tickets for a few months when moviepass first launched and subsequently imploded.

    Reminds me of when venture capitalists paid for my movie theater tickets for a few months when moviepass first launched and subsequently imploded.

    18 votes
    1. [8]
      arch
      Link Parent
      I can't even think of half the subsidized or free services I've used over the years that have since tried to squeeze us for every penny. Just off the top of my head: Google Photos used to be free...

      I can't even think of half the subsidized or free services I've used over the years that have since tried to squeeze us for every penny. Just off the top of my head: Google Photos used to be free for tens of thousands of photos, Hulu had everything free with ads, YouTube had no ads, Netflix was dirt cheap for years. Interestingly many of these companies started with basically no visible path to profitability, then later pivoted once they found a way to gain it. Google wasn't originally an ad company! The founders were originally opposed to it.

      But for that matter McDonald's wasn't originally a real estate company, and actually cared about their service, quality and customer experience. c'est la vie

      16 votes
      1. diskroll
        Link Parent
        Moviepass was different in that you could see how much money they were losing right in front of you. I paid either $10 or $15 a month, I can't remember exactly, but I could see exactly how much...

        Moviepass was different in that you could see how much money they were losing right in front of you. I paid either $10 or $15 a month, I can't remember exactly, but I could see exactly how much they were paying for the tickets directly when using the debit card they provided.

        9 votes
      2. [5]
        Kind_of_Ben
        Link Parent
        Wut? That's news to me, got any links I can read?

        McDonald's wasn't originally a real estate company

        Wut? That's news to me, got any links I can read?

        3 votes
        1. [4]
          unkz
          (edited )
          Link Parent
          https://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com/mcdonalds-beyond-the-burger/ In a nutshell, instead of franchisees finding their own locations, McDonalds leases the real estate at high markups to almost all of...

          https://www.wallstreetsurvivor.com/mcdonalds-beyond-the-burger/

          In a nutshell, instead of franchisees finding their own locations, McDonalds leases the real estate at high markups to almost all of their franchisees.

          9 votes
          1. [3]
            Kind_of_Ben
            Link Parent
            Wow, I had no idea. That feels kinda slimy, for reasons I can't quite articulate.

            Wow, I had no idea. That feels kinda slimy, for reasons I can't quite articulate.

            6 votes
            1. [2]
              MimicSquid
              Link Parent
              Because McDonald's corporate success and the franchises' success don't rise and fall together?

              Because McDonald's corporate success and the franchises' success don't rise and fall together?

              9 votes
      3. skybrian
        Link Parent
        I thought I'd look at what they're charging now. In the US, looks like Google charges $2/month for 100GB of storage (split across Google Drive, Google Photos, etc). It seems pretty reasonable....

        I thought I'd look at what they're charging now.

        In the US, looks like Google charges $2/month for 100GB of storage (split across Google Drive, Google Photos, etc). It seems pretty reasonable. I've only used 13GB, which fits in the free plan (15GB).

        Meanwhile, iCloud charges $1 for 50GB or $3 for 200GB, and the free plan is less generous (only 5GB).

        3 votes