At least if they offered a "buy" option next to the subscription, giving consumers choice and not alienating their current client base..
But the mere thought of that would blow an artery in their MBA corrupted minds.
I don't think the MBA minds are corrupted. I believe they are looking at this subscription model as the only financially viable way to deal with it. The purchase model is likely viewed as too unstable and unpredictable so it makes no business sense to pander to the upset customers (like me) that will buy a license and never update it for many years - if ever. The business planners are saying that the buy model is a near guaranteed fail, and the subscription model is at least a better option even with the push-back from existing customers.
I have a paid license that is about 3 years old at $575, USD. That money was burned at CAD Soft in mere minutes or possibly seconds. Not sure how big the team is over there, but it is safe to say they have to sell a LOT of $575 products to just break even on development.
I can fully understand the desire to go subscription and I don't think it is a greedy money grabbing decision either. To me, it seems like a desperate reach for a glimmer of hope in a market that seems very difficult to survive in. The product is a barely professional tool that requires a lot of money to improve. If they improve it, they may still find that very few want to actually pay much for it. I have my sights set on Altium and the best thing Autodesk/Eagle is doing is getting Altium to offer better pricing.
If Eagle looked like it was going to get more than a fresh coat of paint - I would reconsider. I don't see it going in that direction, though. If it was a substantially better tool than today and offered a perpetual license that was still lower than Altium.....maybe. But a pseudo-pro tool as a subscription? Nope.
After a demo with Altium - the extra money will probably be made up very quickly for my small operation.