3/13/2024 - My 45th Newsletter Edition now called Ag Uncensored (formerly Easy Observations)
Opening Thoughts:
As promised I wanted to reignite my normal newsletter thoughts with the ever appropriate memes and wild talking points you’ve come to love of my around AgTech thoughts and feelings. Before I get to the gist of Enshittification, I wanted to let my readers in on some general updates of mine.
For one, I will be attending the World AgriTech conference in San Fran this next week. I noted this in my latest podcast post but I figured this one could get more attention. Either way, if you are there and want to meet up or something let me know.
I don’t have a specific meetings or things setup yet, but I’ll say the main goal is to find some new podcast guests and even do some of them there, maybe open some doors to contract work with myself, catchup with colleagues in the space, give some updates of the show and tone throughout the two days, and finally run through a new idea I’m working on around reviewing AgTech software for the masses.
All in all, it should be fun and if you want to reach out do so here, contact me through my www.aguncensored.com website or reach out on Linkedln.
Now on the to main course…
What is Enshittification by the way?
The term enshittification was coined by Cory Doctorow in a November 2022 blog post[1] that was republished in Locus in January 2023.[2] He expanded on the concept in another blog post,[3] which was republished in the January 2023 edition of Wired:[4]
Here is how platforms die: first, they are good to their users; then they abuse their users to make things better for their business customers; finally, they abuse those business customers to claw back all the value for themselves. Then, they die. I call this enshittification, and it is a seemingly inevitable consequence arising from the combination of the ease of changing how a platform allocates value, combined with the nature of a "two sided market", where a platform sits between buyers and sellers, hold each hostage to the other, raking off an ever-larger share of the value that passes between them.
Here is a little more…
New platforms offer useful products and services at a loss, as a way to gain new users. Once users are locked in, the platform then offers access to the userbase to suppliers at a loss, and once suppliers are locked-in, the platform shifts surpluses to shareholders. Once the platform is fundamentally focused on the shareholders, and the users and vendors are locked in, the platform no longer has any incentive to maintain quality. Enshittified platforms which act as intermediaries can functionally act as both a monopoly on services and a monopsony on customers, as high switching costs prevent either from leaving even when alternatives technically exist. Doctorow has described the process of enshittification as happening through "twiddling"; the continual adjustment of the parameters of the system in search of marginal improvements of profits, without regard to any other goal. Enshittification can be seen as a form of rent-seeking.
Sound Familiar in AgTech?
Well, yes and no. I think we fully understand and see this fun verb going on in most of the social systems and other larger types of popular software systems we use everyday. It’s not all, but it’s pretty commonplace at least in the last say 10 years.
Now when it comes to Agriculture and the tech end I think there are two specific groups this fits especially well right now. Sorry to call it out I guess…not really either.
John Deere Operations Center and Climate FieldView…
(Granular tried as well as FBN and now so I’d say Indigo too without much luck)
</picture>Read the description again and now put your head in how you see those platforms. I’ll break it down here too.
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“New platforms offer useful products and services at a loss, as a way to gain new users.”
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Ops Center - Pretty self explanatory here
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FieldView - Dido
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Also, you could call out a plethora of other software system from the last ten years around this first one to say the least.
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“Once users are locked in, the platform then offers access to the userbase to suppliers at a loss.”
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Ops Center - Think of all the API connections to other softwares that they have. It’s in the hundreds and growing.
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FieldView - Dido again, though not as big once they started charging for parts of these connections and data transferring to other competitive 3rd party softwares.
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Others - Well, there are sort of others trying this from OEM machinery groups to large Input manufacturers though most aren’t doing great at it.
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“Once suppliers are locked-in, the platform shifts surpluses to shareholders.”
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I think it’s safe to say both are attempting this through their various methods from new machinery tech to new seed and chemical tech via the software connections they are infused within of their making. Though it’s slightly different in that, they use this “locking in” method to enhance other portfolio product lines. Think See and Spray or Precision Planting.
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More or less….
“Enshittified platforms which act as intermediaries can functionally act as both a monopoly on services and a monopsony on customers, as high switching costs prevent either from leaving even when alternatives technically exist.”
Oh how true that feels with those two and even a few others… Further more…
“The continual adjustment of the parameters of the system in search of marginal improvements of profits, without regard to any other goal. “
This is now becoming more so true in attempts to monetize these platforms (another attempt for FieldView)
JD is trying acre charges with See and Spray (not working well I’ve heard) and FieldView is trying some new Tiered pricing with new features. While I wouldn’t say they are doing this to the description of “without regard to any other goal” it does feel odd.
I’ve heard JD is attempting to try and charge for their API access for enhanced features and connections points to a similar degree as FieldView has been doing for some time. It can make sense as let’s say if a large Ag Retailer or similar wants specialized tools or analysis through JD Ops with their certain customers they probably should pay for that specialized service in some way.
So while I have seen that with others I also get why there is a need to charge for it as well. These two software systems as many others are giant loss leaders unless you consider stock prices or the other enhanced sales they receive through their main product lines.
All in all, it’s a tough and weird process for them and others that have fit into this scenario.
Here is another basic principle to this:
(Another quote from the original author)
Several major platforms have started discontinuing free features in order to further their monetization or taking other actions that were seen to degrade functionality in ways intended to thwart competition and increase profits.
I have seen this time and time again especially with certain types of Agricultural data and with one I’m very close to in Satellite Imagery. Weather data is another one.
I’ve written about it before that in doing the “Free” giveaway with datasets like those it has decreased the value of the data overall. Now I’m starting to see AgTech groups being forced to go past that initial Enshittification phase with Freemium or just Free data to gain users as now more than ever they need to just make money like a good ole company should.
The majors are now doing this as well for many of the same reasons as the hype and excitement of these software and tools just existing to be awesome has now waned.
Once again, this isn’t a bad thing and I don’t have really anything against it. It’s just a big shift and one that I’m not sure the industry as a whole can fully grasp right now as budgets and excitement for AgTech, especially software, is decreasing.
Can we Un-Enshittify?
If there is one industry that I think can it might just be Agriculture. It’s way different and almost unfair of me to compare AgTech software and solutions to the giants among us from Amazon to Reddit to Twitter/X. It’s not really the exact same and Ag software are also not really social media platforms.
I think many in Ag can and do see the value in many cases of what a software can provide. The unfortunate side is that isn’t enough in Ag. We have other issues and adoption of them even if they are free isn’t even that great when you think about it. I myself and others talk about this all the time and there isn’t really a great answer to it all yet either.
Part of the reason is just time. It take a long time for new things to become the norm in Ag as it’s just a slow evolving industry compared to others. The cultural aspect is huge as well as it is different everywhere. The complex nature of Ag throughout the world from agronomy to weather to markets make it even harder.
Overall, maybe Enshittification isn’t the right exact word/term/verb to use for what we are experiencing in AgTech. While it does fit a few as noted, it’s not exactly fitting as well. Maybe there is a different word for what is going on. Maybe I’ll try to coin it right now (I’m not exactly), but with a similar flair.
Here is goes…
AgTech has a Shituational problem:
I’m not sure if this will stick or not, but at the very least let me define it for Ag. Also, I guess others have defined this word too in simpler terms but this is my version.
Definition: Shituation - A term used to describe when a complex situation can never find an exact answer to a broad problem even though the ones dealing with that situation need a simpler answer in order to deal with it and move forward.
Example: “I’m just trying to get farmers to use my software but they are all so different in their land, crops, and methods. I’m in a real Shituation here.”
A non-Ag Industry Example: “Hey wife, our son had a massive blowout and I’m all out of wipes. I’m dealing with a Shituation right now and could use your help!” (I’ve dealt with this many times as have all parents)
Currently as I’m writing this Definition Example: My wife, “I can’t believe the internet went down just as I got to the end of this new Netflix show I was watching. This is a real Shituation!!”
So… it’s not perfect but a start
I’m still working on it though I think I may have something here. I’ll try to come up with some other verbs to describe AgTech before the conference next week too. Either way, I would love to hear your definitions and examples of it related to AgTech or just Ag in general.
With all that said, Ag is having a weird time making sense of it all on the AgTech side. From biologicals to climate CI scores to agronomics to AI/ML processes. We are in an odd teenager phase in a sense.
I actually talk about this a bit in my next Ag Uncensored Podcast next week so check that out to here more on it… Please!!!….
Closing Thoughts:
Well maybe I’m up to my antics again, maybe I’m trying to just rile up everyone, maybe I’m trying to in my own way to help reset some of the oddities of the last 10 years in AgTech?
Either way, I will say this… One thing I’m trying to accomplish now versus before is to slowly reset myself around how I think and showcase my thought and experiences of it. It’s a big reason I’m doing the Podcast. I want to showcase what I’ve said through others without me having to more or less say it to provide some validity to what many have and are experiencing.
It’s not perfect and by no means do I want others to be as cynical as I can be with it at times. I’m cynical around AgTech for one big reason and that is I’ve been around it longer than I ever thought and seem to be a weird magnet to others stories and their cynical feelings as I have time and independence in my favor. I’m an outlet I guess.
It’s a big reason why I’m going to the World Agritech conference next week. I’m a rare bird in which people can and often will tell me the truth without implications. I’m not here to crap on the little guys or even big ones struggling (unless you’ve raised hundred of millions and still sort of suck, but I’m rethinking that too).
Sometimes you just need to get stuff off your chest. In AgTech that is especially true at the moment. It is odd and weird for this guy and I’m slowly trying to figure out how I can use that to help everyone. I will here you out regardless.
I’ll say this, I think I have a good concept in how beyond the new podcast and outlook I can help in a simple way that isn’t intrusive. You’ll definitely will hear about it more next week if at the show and you’ll see it more here very soon too. It’s all tied here and at my new website which I’ll link again as an asshat. My New Website
Call it a showcase to the world of Agtech in how I and other see it in real time.
In the “MEME” Time…
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I’m not necessarily tired of it, I just don’t want it to be the only thing people know me for I guess in Ag. I get it too, we all need our trope in work and life.
Finally…
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All in all, thanks for reading, listening, and watching.
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