It’s not a coincidence. Sadly, it’s the model.

I wrote recently about ensh*ttification.

Products start off great, pull you in, then gradually take value away while switching costs rise.

YouTube is a clear example we can’t escape.

(You can’t even watch a video about ensh*ttification without using a thoroughly ensh*ttified app.)

Premium prices are going up again, with individual plans hitting US $16/month and 27 bucks for families.

The justification is familiar: support creators, maintain quality, keep the features people value.

You know, stuff like ad-free viewing, background play, and music.

But look what’s really happening.

Background play isn’t some new technical breakthrough. It’s a constraint!

One that only exists so it can be removed for paying users. Any video app but YouTube includes it by default.

Ads are becoming more frequent, longer, and harder to skip.

That’s called engineered contrast.

The free experience degrades just enough to make the paid version feel worthwhile in order to escape all the frustration and inconvenience.

Then once you’re paying monthly, the price can keep movin’ on up.

THAT’s the next level.

The product isn’t evolving to support user needs as much as it is around monetization leverage. It’s not really getting better at all, in my view.

But then, I don’t use Premium. Our family tries to limit YouTube all around, and we already pay monthly for Apple Music, so the bundled music library doesn’t add much.

But I do get the appeal.

If you use YouTube heavily, the PITA factor ratchets up fast.

Which is exactly the goal.

The question for product makers is not whether this model works.

Sadly, and very clearly, it does. Particularly when your product is the only real option in its realm.

But think what this does to trust and brand love over time.

When your best features are things you’ve deliberately held for ransom, what kind of relationship are you building?

Curious where YOU sit on this. Is YouTube Premium worth it, or does the model push you away?

And if you’ve found a viable offramp from YouTube, I’d LOVE to know how!

Want to make your product irresistible? That’s what we do as agency for marketing physical products at Graphos Product, helping innovators turn need-driven ideas into market-ready successes.