Ratchet Effect

The tendency for advertising incentives, once introduced into a product, to expand over time as they become integrated into revenue targets and product development.

In the context of ad-supported technology products, the ratchet effect describes how advertising begins with clearly labeled, transparent placements but gradually expands to influence more aspects of the product experience. Anthropic cites this pattern as a core reason for rejecting advertising entirely, arguing that even modest, opt-in advertising tends to grow into full engagement optimization over time, as seen in products like Google Search and social media platforms.

Also known as