“You are not the customer. You are the product.”  This phrase, or versions of it, have been popularly cited over the past few years as a criticism of social media.

“Free as in speech, not as in beer.”

Richard Stallman, the infamous GNU/Linux OS (Operating System) project’s lead architect and organizer, explained that free means freedom to use, modify, and share software, not just getting it at zero cost (gratis).

If we want to be very picky, there is a much more complex classification about what is “free” in digital tools:

1. 1. free software (libre)
   2. freeware (gratis)
   3. open source

But the main point here is that, however, total costs (implementation, support, customization) can be substantial, especially for businesses.

You can be 100% focused on being independent to any software house behind your tools, but the freedom is not free, in any case. And you are just lying to yourself (or even worse to your colleagues, partners and associations…).

You need to rely on infrastructure, storage, web services, etc. that someone developed and still maintain live with technological updates, compatibility and on and on…

From Gmail to Instagram and Tik Tok, from Amazon to ChatGPT and Perplexity

When you do not pay for a service, the business often earns revenue by using your data, attention, or behavior as the commodity. This principle is highly relevant to today’s artificial intelligence platforms. Many free AI tools allow users to upload personal images to edit or transform. While this seems convenient, those uploaded images often become part of the platform’s datasets.

The reason such tools are free is not generosity, but because your data fuels their product development, you become part of the company’s assets. I don’t have to explain how dangerous it is for businesses.

Paid software solutions offer advanced features, better models, higher limits, speed, security, and dedicated support, while free software solution excel for beginners, testing, and basic tasks but often have usage caps, older models, and use your data for training or worse they sell it to others.

So, my best advice is always to subscribe to a service and NOT trust free solutions. Your intellectual property worth much more than tools to pay.

Software and consultant selection are just about trust and common sense

One of the most famous quotes from Warren Buffett (like him or not) is the following:

“You don’t need to be a rocket scientist. Investing is not a game where the guy with the 160 IQ beats the guy with 130 IQ.”

I couldn’t agree more. I was recently invited to take an official IQ test and guess the results? 147. Impressive huh? I was surprised as well.

And still, it’s not about this number, or a major job title such as “Director of the Universe” or MBA and PhD.

It’s about building trust, deliver knowledge and real value, and above all: common sense.

But I can’t fix stupid. I’m not equipped for miracles. Yet.

But I still believe in them, as well said in one of the covers I love the most, “I Believe in Miracles”, by my favorite Pearl Jam (YouTube):

I used to be on an endless run
Believed in miracles ’cause I’m one
I’ve been blessed with the power to survive
After all these years, I’m still alive

Oh, I believe in miracles
I believe in a better world for me and you
Oh-oh, I believe in miracles
I believe in a better world for me and you

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Stay data-hungry. Stay data-foolish.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Digital Consultant