"Google Zero is here, and the only currency that matters is direct loyal audience," said Helen Havlak, publisher of The Verge. "We've spent years investing in The Verge's own platform, and are thrilled to launch the next set of features for our loyal users."
This decision drastically curtails traditional purchasing options. More troubling, it signals an acceleration of a broader industry trend toward subscription-only models, raising profound questions about the future of academic scholarship.