Don't Subscribe So Casually
Key takeaways
- I don’t think people think of ChatGPT as a normal subscription: it’s shiny, new, and powerful, but from a financial perspective — and from the perspective of the company’s incentives — it’s just another Netflix.
- If someone offered you a magic button that gave you ten dollars now, but carried a high probability of altering your tastes, your routines, and the way you think, would you press it?
- A poignant scene from Black Mirror, “Common People”
Shmuel Berman May 26, 2026Share Most people pick subscriptions the same way they pick snacks. Subscriptions, however, are more like roommates than Oreos. Anything you subscribe to gets a small, recurring vote on who you become.
Being conscious of this has been worthwhile throughout the modern era of subscriptions, but the rise of chatbots — which can be customized, tailored, and packaged to become even more addictive and to amplify the negative effects of subscription models — makes revisiting the issue especially important. I don’t think people think of ChatGPT as a normal subscription: it’s shiny, new, and powerful, but from a financial perspective — and from the perspective of the company’s incentives — it’s just another Netflix.
If someone offered you a magic button that gave you ten dollars now, but carried a high probability of altering your tastes, your routines, and the way you think, would you press it?