On subscriptions

Dan Romero argues that subscriptions are growing in the 2020s after free-with-ads dominated consumer apps in the 2010s. He cites several reasons: consumers now judge whether a category is worth paying for, streaming services like Netflix and Spotify show a large paid market, and companies find they monetize less well than Google or Facebook. He also points to better subscription management infrastructure, such as managing subscriptions through iOS, and to interest rates returning, with markets caring more about revenue and free cash flow. Romero adds that paying changes the relationship from "user" to "customer," shifting product choices from time spent toward delivered value.