I Tried to Pay for Grok, but Was Told to "wait 2 Weeks for Black Friday."
Key topics
But when I tried to subscribe, I was actually told to "wait 2 weeks for Black Friday" and just use the free version. This was a fascinating (and shocking) customer experience.
It's especially interesting because while I'm being told to wait, Grok's competitors are aggressively capturing the South Korean market:
ChatGPT is integrating directly into "KakaoTalk" (our #1 super-app monopoly) with cashback promos.
Perplexity is partnering with local telcos to give away 1-year subscriptions.
Grok's GTM (Go-to-Market) strategy here seems to be "nothing," while simultaneously turning away customers who are trying to pay them.
Being late to launch is one thing, but being late to market share because you're telling eager customers to wait seems like a huge, unforced error.
Just wanted to share this observation from the ground.
The author was excited to pay for Grok but was told to wait 2 weeks for Black Friday, highlighting a potentially flawed Go-to-Market strategy, with comments discussing the implications of this approach and the possibility of it being an annual offer.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
Light discussionFirst comment
27m
Peak period
3
Day 1
Avg / period
2
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Nov 12, 2025 at 8:32 PM EST
about 2 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Nov 12, 2025 at 8:59 PM EST
27m after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
3 comments in Day 1
Hottest window of the conversation
Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Nov 25, 2025 at 5:52 AM EST
about 1 month ago
Step 04
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