[petercooper]

No thanks. While ads are less than ideal, I'd rather be enriching the lives of my 75,000 subscribers and run ads than have 500 people paying me $10 a month for the same publications (75k paying $10 would be even better but wouldn't have happened ;-)).

Apps powered by ads are a different kettle of fish but advertising is still a big deal for media and publishing businesses.

[axian]

Unless it's a company that cures cancer over the internet, your startup isn't enriching anyone's life. "Capture eyeballs, monetize later" mantra has failed in almost all cases, save for few select companies who are just breaking even on momentum alone.

Media and publishing business are dying. What a strange example to illustrate a point.

[theorique]

Unless it's a company that cures cancer over the internet, your startup isn't enriching anyone's life.

There's a lot of room to operate between "curing cancer" and "not enriching anyone's life".

[eschutte2]

As one of those 75,000 subscribers, I'm happy to say that's not correct. To state the obvious, if the product or service weren't enriching people's lives, why do you think they would choose to subscribe to it?

[khyryk]

I think there are various ways to approach this. One could argue that, for instance, watching TV for 6 hours per day does not enrich a particular person's life, no matter how convinced they may be that it does.

Your second sentence is a type of an argument I've encountered numerous times, but I can't seem to recall what it's called. I may get back to this later.

[petercooper]

Unless it's a company that cures cancer over the internet, your startup isn't enriching anyone's life.

We have different definitions. I feel many things enrich my life from literature and magazines to cars and restaurants or walks in the park. And - drum-roll - even Hacker News ;-)

Media and publishing business are dying.

Some are. Many are thriving and growing, including mine.