the true faceplant was the rollout of $11/month to all users if they want premium features
Faceplant into dog poop
Discussion
I’ve never purchased it, but a premium teir isn’t the worst idea ever. He just botched the rollout, devalued verification, and has broken and/or removed more tiny features than I can count. Not to mention shit just randomly stops working and his whole rate limiting debacle was clearly a failed attempt to alleviate server load.
to me it looks like a very deliberate switch in the business model from advertising revenue based to monthly subscription based
If you pay, you receive premium services and the algorithm drives engagement to your account
If you don’t pay, the algorithm ignores you and your engagement is garbage
Classic rent seeking