Maybe enshittification is a good thing. Here's why

Coudn't agree more. I remember back when you could own lifetime software. Now it's mostly recurring. That's why companies like Appsumo hit it really big when it comes to lifetime software.

Now you need a bunch of discounts & coupon codes to keep your hosting up xD

A very interesting post. Thank you for sharing!

I like the idea a lot. But platforms that aren't "enshittified" would need to be supported. They would need to be financed by benevolent for-profit ventures that do something independent of the main utility of the platform.

What ideas or alternatives are there to avoid ads or subscriptions or locking down content?

Interesting

Hoping for better regulations and user-focused innovation!

Thanks for the post Hiram. Enshitified subscriptions are truly out of control.

I'm wondering why everything can't be prepay and metered with continuous live microscopic billing analytics.

The tech is there already, and it seems kinda shitty not to extend that transparency to the end user. Lately I've been experimenting with some solutions for my stuff.

Spotify also enshittified creator experience - taking their content and monetizing it, while paying them nothing in return: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/30/spotify-smaller-artists-wrapped-indie-musicians

Great topic! I often wonder about the hidden forces behind the phenomenon of enshittification, which seems to inevitably affect most, if not all, large-scale companies. Is it due to collective human greed, or are there unknown structural forces that compel businesses to deteriorate as they grow? Why can't initiatives that start with good intentions endure? There are countless examples of enshittification, yet no lasting cases of businesses avoiding it. Understanding these forces is crucial for those aiming to prevent enshittification when building a business, even if these forces may lead to inevitable decline.

I'm surprised you missed out the enshittification king:

Google Analytics 4

It literally led to the emergence of a whole indie niche of analytic products that don't suck.

Enshittification is a good thing, it creates room for us indies to grow and slowly nibble at the lunch of the big, lumbering, complacent behemoths.

Excellent thinking. The cost of participation in online culture cumulatively has a huge subscription cost—with almost nothing durable or tangible to show for it. Simply with media consumption, we pay more now for online streaming across all the platforms than we ever did for even the most obscene cable package there was. On and on, in nearly every industry, the subscription model erodes perception of value.

interesting post,,

I think as we sap the middle class of any disposable income and destroy the consumer economy in service of "endless growth", we'll hit a stage where most services get priced at a "luxury" price point where only high-earners can consume them. But who knows, we might even get a government subsidy for streaming services because the US government loves finding creative ways to prop up this debt economy and keep zombie companies alive.

Thanks for sharing it

I'm very much on the side of the argument you're making. I think you're right in pointing out the opportunity for IH.
I think though that enshitification is a symptom of scale and monopoly.
Which if true, means that getting rid of enshitification in new products probably means sacrificing scale.
I think that's the place where IH products are shining, as smaller teams and bootstrapping means less need for scale and exponential growth.
Probably a good question to ask is if you can fulfill the need that one of the bigger companies are serving, but do it for a smaller and more affluent than the average niche.