I see that Spotify are discontinuing their Car Thing from December this year. If you didn’t know, Car Thing is a $90 device that allows users to control Spotify through their car speakers and is EVERYTHING which is wrong with tech right now.

It’s tied into one provider; most people want the freedom to pick and choose from a number of offerings.

Its software is proprietary; once it is bricked the device is useless.

It won’t be recycled; users are told to reset it to factory settings and safely dispose of it as per local electronic waste guidelines.

Users have been paying to have their data harvested:

“The goal of our Car Thing exploration in the U.S. was to learn more about how people listen in the car”

Spotify spokesperson

Think about your learning technology and look into how many ecosystems you are tied into. Check where your content is hosted and how you can get it. Look at the curated resources you have and whether they’ll always be available.

It’s easy to buy into new technologies as a pioneer but be aware of the risks you’re taking.