Source: Deezlinks
A new category of consumer software charges users to optimize their use of other digital tools—monetizing friction rather than eliminating it. Third-party AI coaches have become the tax consumers pay for navigability. The original tool makers have little incentive to improve UX when complexity drives demand for add-on services, and users absorb both the cognitive load and the subscription cost. This inverts the old competitive dynamic: instead of products competing on ease-of-use, difficulty now spawns dependent services.