Hacker News with Generative AI: Business Models

The Agentic Web and Original Sin (stratechery.com)
I have come to believe that advertising is the original sin of the web. The fallen state of our Internet is a direct, if unintentional, consequence of choosing advertising as the default model to support online content and services.
Web Development, Advertising, Business Models
7 points by JumpCrisscross 35 days ago | 0 comments
The WinRAR approach (basicappleguy.com)
For the past five years, I have offered the site for free.
Software, Open Source, Business Models
125 points by frizlab 38 days ago | 103 comments
I made a universal credit system as an alternative to subscriptions (joinares.com)
Subscriptions, Business Models, Universal Credit
7 points by JonanJ 38 days ago | 9 comments
Ask HN: Don't You Mind That LLMs Are Mostly Proprietary? (ycombinator.com)
I'm not sure if it's just me getting older or what, but something strikes me as odd about the future of programming and software engineering: LLMs are impressive, but you have to pay to use them.
Open Source, Software Development, Business Models
18 points by dakiol 39 days ago | 19 comments
Telegram's Extraordinary Business Model (softpagecms.com)
Typically today’s tech unicorns would employ thousands of staff across sprawling corporate campuses in order to power a global comms juggernaut, however one messaging platform stands in stark contrast. Telegram, the encrypted messaging service founded by the Durov brothers, has achieved what many consider impossible: a $30 billion valuation with just 30 employees and no human resources department.
Telegram, Business Models, Technology, Messaging Platforms
21 points by justindownes 41 days ago | 11 comments
Free with In-App Purchase is a sham (lapcatsoftware.com)
Mobile Apps, Business Models, Consumer Issues
45 points by ingve 52 days ago | 8 comments
Oxide’s compensation model: how is it going? (oxide.computer)
Four years ago, we were struggling to hire.
Compensation, Hiring, Business Models, Technology
264 points by steveklabnik 57 days ago | 233 comments
A parasitical business model: how ticket resellers squeeze out loyal supporters (theguardian.com)
At first glance it was not obvious why Manchester City fans were so upset about the announcement at the end of last month that the club had signed a multi-year agreement with Viagogo.
Business Models, Ticket Reselling, Fan Culture, Manchester City, Sports
5 points by PaulHoule 65 days ago | 3 comments
I Fell in Love with Kagi (podfeet.com)
I’ve been advocating the follow the money philosophy for over a decade now — your data, and hence you privacy, are valuable, so you need to choose carefully who you entrust them to, and the best way to figure out who is and who isn’t trustworthy is to understand how they pay their bills.
Privacy, Search Engines, Business Models
18 points by speckx 66 days ago | 0 comments
Ask HN: As a Founder, is this business model compelling? (ycombinator.com)
I recently launched an independent sales agency specializing in early-stage startups. My model is adapted from my experience as an independent manufacturer's rep. for electric utility products used to transmit power from generation to end-users.
Founders, Business Models, Sales, Startups
35 points by salestoscale 84 days ago | 43 comments
Why Kagi launched "no use, no pay" (getlago.substack.com)
Paying for a SaaS subscription you don’t use sucks. Sure, I don’t use that shameful cupboard with the ice cream maker, sous-vide device and electric ham-cutter either, but at least those things don’t charge me again!
SaaS, Business Models, Subscription Services, Software
84 points by AnhTho_FR 88 days ago | 31 comments
No OpenAI, I Won't Pay $10k/Month for Your AI Agent (thetrendysoftwareideas.substack.com)
OpenAI's latest pricing strategy has completely lost the plot. Yesterday, there was a leak that OpenAI plans to charge up to $20,000 a month for "AI agents".
OpenAI, AI, Pricing, Business Models
13 points by justiceforsaas 113 days ago | 3 comments
Tell HN: Brother printers no longer consumer friendly (ycombinator.com)
I dislike the tactics many of the other printer manufacturers employ such as subscription services, DRM on cartridges, etc. I've always used and recommended Brother laser printers as they seem to largely not employ these non-consumer friendly approaches. They have always let you continue printing even when one cartridge was empty. I've always brought official cartridges out of respect for their business model.
Printers, Consumer Technology, Business Models
36 points by SimonPStevens 115 days ago | 16 comments
The Era of Solopreneurs Is Here (manidoraisamy.com)
DeepSeek just dropped a bombshell: $200M in annual revenue with a 500%+ profit margin—all while charging 25x less than OpenAI. But DeepSeek didn’t just build another AI model. They wrote their own parallel file system (3FS) to optimize costs—something that would have been unthinkable for a company of their size. This was possible because AI helped write the file system. Now, imagine what will happen in a couple of years—AI will be writing code, optimizing infrastructure, and even debugging itself.
Startup, Artificial Intelligence, Business Models, Revenue, Cost Optimization
76 points by QueensGambit 117 days ago | 100 comments
Is PyPI moving towards a paid subscription model / abandoning package neutrality (python.org)
Python, Open Source, Software Development, Business Models
7 points by ayhanfuat 119 days ago | 0 comments
Ask HN: Is it possible to start an AI product without venture capital? (ycombinator.com)
I have an AI idea that I'm developing, but I don't have any money to burn. I also worry that a $20 subscription might not be enough to cover the costs of the most active users. Is it possible to create an AI product and start a business without any cash on hand to attract customers?
Entrepreneurship, Artificial Intelligence, Business Models
9 points by devanil 120 days ago | 12 comments
Ask HN: Why do you trust Kagi? (ycombinator.com)
I frequently see high praise for Kagi here, both for the quality of the search results as well as the ostensibly customer-friendly business decisions.
Search Engines, Privacy, User Experience, Business Models
14 points by monroewalker 122 days ago | 23 comments
They hijacked our flow state (desunit.com)
They stole our flow state – and turned it into a business model.
Psychology, Flow State, Business Models
18 points by desunit 124 days ago | 4 comments
Keeping our free tier sustainable by preventing abuse (geocod.io)
While many SaaS businesses have started to remove their free tiers due to abuse, we are determined to continuing to provide a free tier for our standard service.
SaaS, Business Models, Free Tiers, Abuse Prevention
106 points by thecodemonkey 127 days ago | 46 comments
A vending machine, on the internet (threekindwords.com)
These days, every new business seems to be a SaaS. I remember when software worked differently: you bought it, installed it, and used it without having to create an account, remember a password, or even connect to the internet. Your data lived on your C drive, and you were in control. Software was a tool, like a hammer or a chair. Buy a chair, and you could sit on it for life. No monthly fees required.
Software, Business Models, Internet, Nostalgia
215 points by EFFALO 129 days ago | 85 comments
Ask HN: Small Ideas vs. Big Ideas? (ycombinator.com)
I've been thinking about this one for a while, does it make sense to work on small ideas? Something like a utility a PDF converter or a small game and attempt to make it into an asset generating $10K - $30K in MRR? Or is it better to aim for building something as big as you can?
Entrepreneurship, Startups, Business Models, SaaS
60 points by amukbils 130 days ago | 78 comments
Ask HN: Are there any CLI only tools that are monetised (ycombinator.com)
I'm curious if anyone is aware of pure CLI tools that that are monetised, either by premium support or by offering a free and paid version. Majority I've seen are extensions of some sort of SaaS or desktop product (IDEs, testing, etc.)
Business Models, Software, Monetization
17 points by ludovicianul 144 days ago | 25 comments
Ask HN: Is it ironic that OpenAI says DeepSeek used its work without permission? (ycombinator.com)
Is it ironic that we have a free open-source model (that also shares reasoning chain) from a hedge fund and $200/mo model from a non-profit?
OpenAI, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Business Models
9 points by hnlurker22 148 days ago | 11 comments
Ask HN: Has anyone tried alternative company models (like a co-op) for SaaS? (ycombinator.com)
Long story short, I'm building a new product and will likely launch it as a yearly SaaS with a permissive license.
SaaS, Business Models, Entrepreneurship, Startups, Community
170 points by snide 160 days ago | 106 comments
Lifetime access plans are (mostly) a hoax (ycombinator.com)
I have never trusted the "lifetime access" plans offered by SaaS websites with subscriptions, as I know hosting services costs money and human resources to manage.
Business Models, Subscription Services
10 points by limbojunkie 168 days ago | 2 comments
Ask HN: Why can't Mozilla offer a paid privacy tier? (ycombinator.com)
I love firefox and want to support it, I hate seeing the direction the company goes to with privacy.
Mozilla, Firefox, Privacy, Business Models, Web Browsers
22 points by funerr 179 days ago | 18 comments
Building a Self-Hostable Product (fusionauth.io)
In this article, you’ll learn about the architecture, business model, and software design choices necessary to create a self-hostable developer tool.
Software Design, Self-Hosting, Developer Tools, Business Models, Architecture
24 points by mooreds 182 days ago | 7 comments
Delta emulator triples Apple's prices to encourage external clicks (theverge.com)
The Delta gaming emulator is now providing a link to sign up for Patreon-exclusive membership perks directly within the iOS app in Apple’s US App Store.
Mobile Gaming, Apple, Business Models, Gaming Emulators, Patreon
37 points by cglong 192 days ago | 9 comments
OpenAI O1 price gouging to get you to use Pro (reddit.com)
O1 limit determinations are completely screwed up, unfair, meant to gouge 200$ from us.
OpenAI, Pricing, Artificial Intelligence, Business Models, User Complaints
6 points by ghm2180 196 days ago | 0 comments
Show HN: No more subscriptions. Find software you can buy once and own forever (buyoncesoftware.com)
Software, Business Models, Technology, Ownership
8 points by richbowen 247 days ago | 4 comments