Ask HN: "You are absolutely right! But first, a word from our sponsors"

I expect the "free" tiers to incorporate ads or some other way of monetizing, and honestly if they are transparent about it like that I think that's a much better alternative than a "product placement" style ad where you don't realize you're being advertised to (and thus much more subject to influence from the ad company). It might be complicated, but I tend to think some basic regulation around making it explicit would be a very good thing.

I think they'll be subtler (read - deceptive). ie "Hey Rolex, pay us $X mil, and you'll increase your chances of featuring in 'Best luxury watches' by 30%"