Strava, the popular fitness-tracking app, puts popular annual “Year in Sport” recap behind an $80 paywall | Strava’s most viral feature is suddenly locked away.

lol these “year in reviews” are diabolical. Spotify definitely created an amazing trend. I think it was them originally right?

But…

From a pure business perspective, I get why Strava did this. The Year in Sport recap is their most viral moment of the year.. it drives organic marketing, nostalgia, and habit reinforcement. Putting it behind a paywall is a classic attempt to convert peak emotional engagement into revenue. On paper, that makes sense.

But strategically, this feels short-sighted. That recap isn’t just a feature, it’s user-generated marketing. Locking it away reduces sharing, reduces free acquisition, and weakens the network effect. You’re trading long-term growth and goodwill for short-term subscription pressure. That’s usually a red flag lol.

From an ethical standpoint, this is where it gets uncomfortable. Users created the data. Users did the work. Users built the habits. Charging $80 to repackage their own effort feels extractive, especially when it was previously free and culturally framed as a “thank you” moment. That kind of change erodes trust fast. Their competitors can instantly a counter campaign, label it as “We’ll never charge for this.” And viola.

And personally? This just feels off-brand. Strava built its identity on community, motivation, and shared progress. Turning the most celebratory, human feature into a monetization gate feels like the app forgot why people loved it in the first place.

I’m not anti-subscription. I’m anti breaking psychological contracts with users. If you want people to pay, add new value. Don’t lock away the memories they already earned.

That’s how you lose loyalty: quietly, over time.

Nah. I think that drunk chick was their most viral thing this year.