But there’s a more insidious goal here too: companies that are seeking to be acquired (which is what a good percentage of tech startups want) are valuated higher when they have larger subscriber lists.15 Personal data, in this case, is an asset in and of itself—even if the quality of the list is low. That’s why these companies are so shameless: They’re not really trying to build loyalty. All they want is data.
I’ve heard this a few times on a venture pitch podcast I used to listen to...
