> And oddly, they refuse to tell journalists what the official subscription fees will be
Probably because there is no one price, but rather determined from a formula. Individual price setting is a wet dream of any business with low marginal cost. This is, to my understanding, the force behind DVD region locking (which later transitioned into digital services) - the optimal price depends on the consumer purchasing power, which varies significantly by region. Now region ≠ individual, but the more cohorts and factors you have, the closer fit you can theoretically achieve.
In other words, Strava would probably love to charge premium from Bay Area power users on FAANG compensation. At the same time, they’d love to acquire and retain paying users in the lower brackets, rather than none at all.
I’m not sure of the legal risks, but in the court of public opinion this is akin to scalping your own product. If I get a different price than my friend, I’ll feel ripped off.
To me, it’s surprising that this isn’t happening more. This is an almost inevitable consequence of the surveillance capitalism paradigm of the digital landscape. The incentives are there, and most importantly, the data needed for individual prices is there.