
Subscriptions = Assets owned by private corporations only - mayankk
In today’s age home loans hang like an axe waiting to fall on our neck the day we are unable to service them.<p>There’s going to be a future generation which not have access to ownership at all. Everything they use will be subscription based. Only large private corporations will own assets.<p>Time has proven over and over again how a private corporation can begin to flex their power to extract the last pound of flesh from a customer.<p>I am beginning to feel that there almost needs to be a moral debate and long term evaluation of the subscription economy. It needs significantly more regulation that the asset selling industry needed.<p>A subscription economy can leave a person in a lurch the day s&#x2F;he is out of a job. At least with asset ownership one had a few things one could completely rely on like music in the house, a car to drive to search for a job.<p>I truly dread the day when everything turns subscription only.<p>https:&#x2F;&#x2F;techcrunch.com&#x2F;2018&#x2F;03&#x2F;26&#x2F;bmw-and-lexus-look-to-car-subscriptions&#x2F;amp&#x2F;
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lucozade
Asset ownership, actual ownership, is very inefficient. It's not obvious to me
why a subscription is inherently worse than an interest bearing loan, hardly a
modern invention, which is the traditional means to reduce the inefficiency.

Where there may be an issue is if it increases the efficiency too far. For
example, it could make getting a new Lexus every year affordable to more
people so more will do it. I can imagine that this will exacerbate excessive
consumption rather than reduce it.

Now, in a very real sense this is less elitist than requiring upfront payment
so it's not so clear cut, morally speaking.

As to the idea that this is an issue if you lose your job. Sure. If you don't
have savings and aren't insuring your payments for your essentials then you
could have an issue. But it's not dissimilar to assets, you're just running a
more predictable risk.

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xstartup
Ownership is bad because of this mentality "at least this is something which
no one can take away from me".

If you look at countries like India, people blindly invest in Home and it has
a big reality market.

In many places, the monthly cost of servicing a home >> the monthly rent you
would pay for equivalent housing. But still, new houses are continuously being
built.

If the general public did not have this mindset, no one would make their own
home if you can get the equivalent of rent for the far lower price.

I believe subscription economy is more efficient and results in the more
efficient use of natural resources.

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dv_dt
One has to question if an individual home owner or a corporation can service a
home more inexpensively. If you're the least bit handy, or willing to learn a
little, I think a home owner is more efficient. Whatever the fundamental cost
of servicing a home, a company is going to add profit, and management
administrative overhead to it. Also renters don't take care of their property
as well as owners - so even if you individually are easy on your rental
property, as a renter end up paying the distributed costs of mistreatment at
even a low ratio.

Though there are certainly other advantages to renting, I question the
fundamental assumption that a subscription is a more efficient use of
resources.

