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0 pointsjrjeksjd8d2mo ago0 comments

The AI issue was that their docs advertise their paid offerings. When AI plagiarizes the docs it doesn't include the ads.

0 comments

DoesntMatter222mo ago

When you say plagiarizes, do you mean they are publishing their own docs without ads? Or you mean when the AI is reading the docs instead of a person they ignore the ads?

jrjeksjd8dOP2mo ago

People don't just ask AI to produce a Tailwind app, they also ask AI specific questions that are answered in the docs. When the AI regurgitates the answers from the docs they don't visit the actual docs. Like the Google answer box in search results stealing clicks from the pages that produce the content.

DoesntMatter222mo ago

This would also be true if someone wrote a book about Tailwind. Are they “stealing” clicks the too?

1 more reply

Imustaskforhelp2mo ago

I think its the latter.

knallfrosch2mo ago

It was a problem with their revenue stream, which was documentation website -> banner for lifetime payment.

All customers already had lifetime access and couldn't pay more. Plus noone was reading the docs on the webpage anymore.

Recurring subscriptions, ads in AI products (think Tailwind MCP server telling you about subscription features.) Those were just two things I pulled out of the hat in a minute.

jrjeksjd8dOP2mo ago

I can understand recurring subscriptions and ads in MCP being a bright line that the team doesn't want to cross. You will probably say it's a bad business model to not make everything a recurring charge and packed full of ads.

I've experienced this in my own life - I ran my own business and I had to choose between doing a worse job and enshittifying the product to make more money, or doing a good job but risking bankruptcy. I choose bankruptcy, because I believed strongly in doing a good job and not enshittifying the product. I don't regret it.

number62mo ago

And since AI knows every Tailwind page, you probably do not need the paid offer for a decent looking page.

Well you always could just read the docs instead of using the paid offer. Took longer. Not anymore.

testdelacc12mo ago

It’s both.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

DoesntMatter222mo ago

When you say plagiarizes, do you mean they are publishing their own docs without ads? Or you mean when the AI is reading the docs instead of a person they ignore the ads?

jrjeksjd8dOP2mo ago

DoesntMatter222mo ago

This would also be true if someone wrote a book about Tailwind. Are they “stealing” clicks the too?

1 more reply

Imustaskforhelp2mo ago

I think its the latter.

knallfrosch2mo ago

It was a problem with their revenue stream, which was documentation website -> banner for lifetime payment.

All customers already had lifetime access and couldn't pay more. Plus noone was reading the docs on the webpage anymore.

Recurring subscriptions, ads in AI products (think Tailwind MCP server telling you about subscription features.) Those were just two things I pulled out of the hat in a minute.

jrjeksjd8dOP2mo ago

number62mo ago

And since AI knows every Tailwind page, you probably do not need the paid offer for a decent looking page.

Well you always could just read the docs instead of using the paid offer. Took longer. Not anymore.

testdelacc12mo ago

It’s both.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse