With almost anything we do, the costs often occur now and the benefits often come later. Nobody wants that. Everyone wants the benefits now and the costs later so we’re skiing uphill already.

But it gets even worse because new things always have some element of uncertainty. Whatever they’re doing now, whether they like it or not, they’re certain about it. In the case of internet service providers, Jonah recently talked to someone who called it the “old boyfriend” problem.

You have an existing service provider, and you may not love it, but you know exactly what it is. Whereas with the new thing, you’re uncertain. It could be better but it also could be a lot worse. So that’s often a challenge.