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Are you sure that their not doing both?



Definitely not, see an article I submitted the other day for proof: )

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17940617

But: if something don't have an obvious way to monetize I fear one of three:

- I'm not the user but the product

- They're too idealistic and will disappear

- They're looking to sell out to a bigger actor, -and then my data will be abused

With an open source self hosted solution I can be somewhat safe.

With a paid product there is a bigger chance they will be smart enough not to to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs by selling out their paying customers.

Example where this worked: Basecamp

Example where this failed: WhatsApp




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