[reeckoh]

This may be controversial, but I think software is suffering from shrinkflation.

We complain when tools like Photoshop or MS Word move to a subscription cloud model, but maybe they're just getting realistic about pricing.

You used to be able to buy these tools for a 3-figure range, maybe low 4 figures with all the bells and whistles. Today, creative cloud starts at $55/mo, Photoshop $21/, MS office ~$6/.

If you use a 10x annual revenue to price these, it'd be something like $6600, $2520, $720 respectively. Would you pay those sums for those tools? Would a starving student?

Software is still hard, and good software is still expensive. Calling it "undervalued" is probably accurate; if it weren't for the downward pressure of piracy and open-source, you have to wonder if we'd have software dealerships selling packages as expensive as today's cars.