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AI psychosis might be a result of subscription fatigue

Alexandra on September 09, 2026

Continuing my thoughts after my previous article, and having too much free time lately, I have been spending more time than I should browsing Linke...
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francistrdev profile image
FrancisTRᴅᴇᴠ •

Great post Alex. There is a lot of thoughts I have but going to condense it the best I can.

Do you think AI will change the way we buy/rent software?

I believe so. The main thing is that since it's easier to build software, people will monetize it. When people monetize it, people get greedy. This is heavily relying on Subscription base because we are starting to see more throughout the years, which is unfortunate in my opinion because some companies have a policy that you are basically "renting" and not owning. You seen the Sony PlayStation news about them removing physical disks? (though not related to subscription, it ties to players not owning their games because of the digital future.)

Which types of software do you think are most vulnerable to this shift?

I think open source software since it's more transparent, especially in this case for the age of AI. We would like to see who built the feature and the responsibility of it. A lot of software that are "closed sourced" tend to shutdown the product, leading to users not using the product anymore because that software no longer exist.

In my humble opinion this second group is where some of the current enthusiasm around AI starts becoming disconnected from reality. Being able to build something in a low price does not mean that someone is willing to pay you for it or you solve any particular novel problem.

Unfortunately, that occasionally works lol. I feel like this is more towards Y Combinator than anything, but idk.

Good post again :D

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ale3oula profile image
Alexandra •

Two thoughts:

The main thing is that since it's easier to build software, people will monetize it. When people monetize it, people get greedy.

That is true, but now there is this shift that "why should i pay your subscription, if i can make it myself?", most of this greed to monetize will flop eventually!

You seen the Sony PlayStation news about them removing physical disks? (though not related to subscription, it ties to players not owning their games because of the digital future.)

That's my point! If the content is rare, you cannot find it in a physical form, and cannot recreate it. These are the "subscriptions" that will last (probably).

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annthurium profile image
Tilde A. Thurium •

This is such a good point. Software engineers now need to understand the business of software in order to add value, whether we are hustling on our own side projects or working a day job for big capitalism. Not to sound like a LLM, but, "the code was never the point!"

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ale3oula profile image
Alexandra •

Yes, I also thought it was important to know the business and the users, but the world we live now makes it even more important. I guess the software that survives will be in one of the two buckets: great content or solving an important problem.

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technogamerz profile image
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐳𝐲 𝐆𝐢𝐫𝐥 •

Interesting article!!

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learn2027 profile image
meow.hair •

Hello,😁

Thank you for this highly realistic and refreshing perspective. Your point about "subscription fatigue" driving the current AI hype is incredibly accurate.

As someone who builds privacy-first, client-side web tools, I completely agree with your conclusion: the real future lies in "tiny, boring, incredibly specific tools" that solve actual problems, rather than thin wrappers chasing monetization.

Thank you for cutting through the noise and providing such a grounded, practical analysis. It is exactly the kind of clear thinking the developer community needs right now.

Wishing you continued success, progress, and creativity in your writing and future projects! 😊

With sincere appreciation,
A fellow developer & enthusiast
🧊🗻🌊

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ale3oula profile image
Alexandra •

Thank you so much! 😊 I really appreciate you taking the time to read it and share such a thoughtful perspective.

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pushpendraagrawal profile image
Pushpendra Agrawal •

the amazon/netflix point is the sharpest part here. we build small automation tools at viaSocket and see this exact split daily - the thing people actually pay for isn't the trigger-action logic (AI can write that in a weekend now), it's someone else already having solved the auth handshakes, rate limits and edge cases for 500 different APIs. that's boring, unglamorous, and exactly the kind of moat AI doesn't touch.

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botsailorofficial profile image
BotSailor •

Interesting perspective. As AI becomes more integrated into our daily lives, the challenge is not only about improving technology but also about creating healthier ways for people to interact with it.

Balancing expectations, accessibility, and responsible usage will be important as the AI ecosystem continues to grow. Great discussion on a topic that deserves more attention.