Tech’s broken promises: Streaming is now just as expensive and confusing as cable. Ubers cost as much as taxis. And the cloud is no longer cheap::Some tech is getting pricier and looking a lot like the older services it was supposed to beat. From video streaming to ride-hailing and cloud computing.

  • @ThickQuiveringTip
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    159 months ago

    Exactly right! While I think companies like Uber and Netflix did price things like Taxis and Cable out of business unethically, I don’t want to go back to those days. I remember having to try to catch a Taxi and waiting over an hour and a half in the cold. They would ask where I was going and just drive off. Cable was full of scummy tactics and slowly introduced ads until it was just basically paying to watch ads. I don’t want to go back to that shit. But Uber and the like should have been honest about what the pricing structure would have been from the get go.

    • golamas1999
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      169 months ago

      The business practices of Uber and Netflix are also unethical but in a different way. Uber pays basically nothing. Netflix as well as streaming pays very little to actors/writers/film crew.

      • @ThickQuiveringTip
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        79 months ago

        Oh, for sure! Corporate greed exceeds new levels year on year! To think they raise interest rates to curb inflation, but then banks and most other companies are posting record profits without any social return is disgusting.

    • @severien
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      19 months ago

      But Uber and the like should have been honest about what the pricing structure would have been from the get go.

      Pricing structure will be adjusted based on the market conditions. Applies to any company at any time.

      • @ThickQuiveringTip
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        49 months ago

        Not the same situation. They purposely went low to price out the competition for years, accepting losses until the competition hopefully didn’t exist or had everyone semi dependent on them. This is not a supply/demand situation or increase with inflation. This is creating market dependency until you can increase your cost to what you want it to be by obliterating competition.

        • @severien
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          09 months ago

          That’s just normal price dumping.

          • Alatain
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            49 months ago

            The fact that you consider that a “normal” and acceptable tactic shows the problem

            • @severien
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              09 months ago

              Just acknowledgment of reality, no moral judgment.