this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2026
1029 points (99.2% liked)
AssholeDesign
11057 readers
75 users here now
This is a community for designs specifically crafted to make the experience worse for the user. This can be due to greed, apathy, laziness or just downright scumbaggery.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Ads can save you money in all sorts of places, it's very common. Take Netflix, you can pay less with ads ,or pay to have ads removed.
This would be pay less for gas with ads, or pay more without.
Ads aren't saving you money though. The version with ads costs more than the version without ads used to. You're already paying more.
Prices are always going to go up because of inflation and changes in service.
Netflix started as a mail in DVD swap. Then they showed content from other companies, then they tried making their own content, then they went heavy into making their own content, then they started making games you can play, then they started doing live streams.
It goes on and on, and that was never going to stay the same price.
There are thousands of games / apps you can use for free. How? Ads. You know what you can also often do? Pay to get rid of those ads.
Ad supported games and software is almost universally of a lower quality than products I've paid for. And Netflix got worse when they started forgoing content by the established networks in favor of their own, because their content is worse. Nobody asked them to make their own content. Why would I want to pay more and sit through ads for an inferior product?
If you don't like it then don't use it, but that doesn't mean ads aren't keeping it cheaper.
Get real, they have enough money to fucking buy Warner Brothers. The ads aren't for your benefit, they're to make them richer. Stop defending anti-consumer business practices.
Netflix
Standard with ads: $7.99 / month
Netflix in 2011 no ads: $7.99 / month.
Of course they are trying to make money, but the ads are absolutely saving you money.
Edit: and just to he super clear here: Netflix was never going to be $7.99/m without ads in 2026.
Wow, so you get worse service for the same price in a time where your dollar doesn't go as far. Why are you spinning that like its a good thing?
And let's be honest here, the only reason that's impossible is corporate greed. Nothing else.