Over the past decade, companies switching to the subscription model have been growing almost four times faster than traditional companies, and it is getting out of control.

Everything is becoming subscription-based, clients can no longer own anything; everything has become a monthly expense.

Not only do companies now demand that their clients pay endlessly, but they also keep raising subscription prices from time to time.

Applications that used to require a one-time payment now demand monthly subscriptions. Prices keep rising, and companies deliberately make it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.

A large percentage of news articles are locked behind paywalls. Not only websites, but even some physical products now require a subscription HP printers, for example, now require one.

Streaming services are now forcing their subscribers to watch commercials, or they have to pay more in their monthly subscriptions so it’s basically a subscription within a subscription.

Aspiring writers who are poor can’t use Microsoft Word without paying a monthly fee.

Aspiring photographers, designers, and illustrators who are poor can’t use Photoshop without a subscription and Adobe keeps raising the price. Not only that, Adobe now requires Photoshop subscribers to pay extra to use Pantone colors.

Aspiring 3D modelers who are poor can’t use Autodesk Maya without a subscription either, as the non-commercial version was discontinued years ago. To access it affordably, you have to be a student from a middle-class family who can pay for your college expenses and be enrolled in a program that offers 3D courses.

It was easier in the 2000s for poor people to be photographers, writers, artists, illustrators, or 3D modelers because all applications back then required a one-time payment not monthly subscriptions that keep raising prices over time, nowadays might be the worst time to be an ambitious adult.

The US government has sued Adobe, saying Adobe violated consumer protection laws with “hidden” termination fees and by making it harder for subscribers to cancel their subscriptions.

But there have been no updates on this case, and this is not enough because Adobe is just one company. Most companies that have switched to subscriptions also make it harder to cancel.

We need companies to return to their roots and abandon this strategy that prioritizes endless profitability at the expense of customer affordability

How long are we going to stay silent? If we remain silent, maybe soon even chargers, ovens, and air conditioners will require monthly subscriptions too. We shouldn’t rule that out after HP printers became subscription-based.

 

Join us on our journey to stop companies from taking advantage of young adults in the 2020s and to find solution for all people in society. You can sign our petition if you agree.