But when I tried to subscribe, I was actually told to "wait 2 weeks for Black Friday" and just use the free version. This was a fascinating (and shocking) customer experience.

It's especially interesting because while I'm being told to wait, Grok's competitors are aggressively capturing the South Korean market:

ChatGPT is integrating directly into "KakaoTalk" (our #1 super-app monopoly) with cashback promos.

Perplexity is partnering with local telcos to give away 1-year subscriptions.

Grok's GTM (Go-to-Market) strategy here seems to be "nothing," while simultaneously turning away customers who are trying to pay them.

Being late to launch is one thing, but being late to market share because you're telling eager customers to wait seems like a huge, unforced error.

Just wanted to share this observation from the ground.