I don't get why you'd consider this a "bait and switch". It seems pretty unsurprising to me that a company testing out an uncommon, unproven business model would get the pricing wrong on the first attempt.
Regardless, it's not like they're the only game in town, or that you're locked in to some long-term contract with them. If you don't like the new pricing, cancel and go back to an ad-supported/data-mining-supported search engine.
> If such change to Individual plans is to occur, we plan to grandfather-in all early adopters (meaning all current and future paid customers, up until this change) allowing them to keep their existing subscription price as long as they don’t cancel it.
... it's a bait and switch. How could you trust their promised privacy angle when they can't honor their own promises for pricing? All the privacy angle is is trust, I anticipate they'll abandon that too when it doesn't make economic sense.
> It was hinted at for a few months on the kagi discord. People could even vote for different pricing models.
The Discord doomers are the ones pushing for AI in search to compete and price match ChatGPT. Kagi making critical business decisions (and in the process breaking a promise for early adopters) based on feedback from a gaming chat app is another reason to stop giving them money.
Regardless, it's not like they're the only game in town, or that you're locked in to some long-term contract with them. If you don't like the new pricing, cancel and go back to an ad-supported/data-mining-supported search engine.