Bait and Switch

Definitions

1. In tech culture, a strategy where a company attracts users or developers with a generous offering (free tier, open-source license, open API) then changes the terms once lock-in is achieved — raising prices, restricting licenses, or closing source code. Notable examples include Oracle's acquisition of MySQL, Redis Labs' license change, and various API pricing pivots.

   In plain English: When a company lures you in with something appealing and then changes the deal once you're committed and dependent on their product.

   Example: "They open-sourced it to build a community, then switched to a Business Source License once they had market share — classic bait and switch."

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