The future of Kagi/some kind of roadmap?

ShadowKGI

I'm a huge fan of Kagi as it exists today. However I have PTSD from so many apps/services being enshittified. I guess what I'm really asking for here is some kind of reassurance, even though it's hard to believe what most companies say these days. I'm worried about any of the following occurring. Kagi:

"Pivoting"
Going public
Being purchased by another company
Getting greedy and somehow lowering the quality of service/drastically altering pricing
Being influenced by future investors that run it into the ground for short-term returns
Doing super shady stuff behind the scenes that comes out and makes people feel gross for giving Kagi money
Who knows what else I missed here

So few services last these days as they inevitably go to trash. I'm a huge fan of your current product. There's definitely improvements to be made, but you've done something amazing here. I've been subscribed for I don't know, maybe six months now. I'm completely all aboard and considering buying a yearly subscription, or even subscribing to the higher tier. I'm less concerned about my money more specifically, and concerned with the company's product drastically changing/going downhill.

Is there any kind of word on the current plans for the next say three years? Are things fairly sustainable? Obviously I can be lied to as companies don't often tell you straight what's going on internally, or if they're going to make a play for a larger user base and alienate their existing ones. But this is the first time in a long time I've found a new service that I'd really be sad if it stopped existing (particularly since Google has been going downhill for a good decade now.)

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

I think it's self-explanatory in my wall of text above.

sentry

ShadowKGI The closest answer that I'm aware of currently is probably the 2024 Kagi Community Event which talks about growth and what's next.

carl

I think you've chosen the wrong vehicle for anxiety. A niche product like Kagi cannot have such a huge impact on your life that it motivates this kind of fear. Enjoy it while it is good, and if it doesn't satisfy your demands in the future you can cancel the subscription.

That's just life, there are no guarantees. Part of grown life is that we cannot anymore transfer our insecurities onto other people like when we are children. There's nobody who can promise to take responsibility and make sure that you personally stay happy.

Maturity is also to understand that it is insulting and comes off as hostile to accuse people of bad actions that they might or might not do in the future. How would you feel if such accusations were directed towards you?

If I buy a motorcycle, I'm going to ride it happy, and not worry if next year's model isn't any good.

ShadowKGI

carl I appreciate the thoughts, but I think you've read into it too deeply. To respond simply I'd say:

I don't have genuine fear or anxiety about this. But most products go downhill rapidly these days and I really hope that doesn't happen here
The reason I bring this up about Kagi is because there are no good alternatives in my eyes. Many other products have good alternatives if one sours
Yes, life has no guarantees indeed. But if there is reassurance to be had, I'll accept it
I definitely don't mean to offend them, I'm posting this because I know nothing about them. So I'd like to hear what they have to say
I have had such accusations sent my way, and if they come from a place of concern and positivity (which is my intent), I've never taken issue with it

Obviously they can't make any long-term guarantees, but I would appreciate some short-term information before switching to a yearly subscription.

RoxyRoxyRoxy

carl I’d have to disagree slightly on this one. I personally don’t have anxiety over Kagi’s future, but I can understand one who does. This isn’t a motorcycle you buy once and can keep forever, it’s a search engine with ongoing cost, maintenance, closed index, etc. While we are “buying in” to Kagi’s future by subscribing, we aren’t buying Kagi. If something happens we don’t get to keep our motorcycle. I think it’s valid to not want to lose it, considering the godawful state of search nowadays (no way in hell can I ever use Google again). As I said above this isn’t something I’d be worried about, they only seem to be growing and offering better and better services.

carl

ShadowKGI

When I was young I worked in restaurants, and everyday we'd have people come in and ask if the food was any good. The question is meaningless, because every restaurant, both good and a bad restaurant will anser that of course it's good.

What kind of answer do you expect when you ask "Will you guarantee that your business won't go to crap?". Every business will answer "Of course it won't go to crap!". So the result is that either you're left with a meaningless promise from a dishonest company, or that you have insulted decent people for no reason at all.

RoxyRoxyRoxy This isn’t a motorcycle you buy once and can keep forever, it’s a search engine with ongoing cost, maintenance, closed index, etc.

Yes, it's a much lesser purchase. A motorcycle is thousands of dollars and you entrust your life to the construction quality of the machine. Kagi is a premium search engine that costs you $10 per month.

dps

The last roadmap I’ve seen was here: https://blog.kagi.com/what-is-next-for-kagi

I would also love to see an updated version for 2025

ShadowKGI

carl a fair point, but some companies responses are so obviously transparent it gives me everything I need to know without them saying so. More genuine companies usually shine through as well, even if things don’t go the way they plan in the long run.

I’m just curious to hear what their near term plans are so that I can more fully commit to the platform. If you disagree with my approach, I understand the perspective.

RoxyRoxyRoxy

I do think a live roadmap would be nice even not being nervous about Kagi's future. Maybe could integrate the status of some planned suggestions/bugfixes from here?

ShadowKGI

sentry that's great, thanks for the link! I'll give it a watch and subscribed to their YT.

sentry

Oh! There's actually a roadmap button on the left sidebar right here on the Kagi feedback site: https://kagifeedback.org/roadmap

RoxyRoxyRoxy

sentry Welp I'm blind lol. Still could be nice to have a "main" roadmap though that's got planned stuff on it, like in the community event video.

Luis

~ 1 year ago we published a vision/roadmap blog post, as pointed out by @dpcleitao. We may consider launching an updated version.

A relevant entry from the blog post,

Kagi becomes a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC)
(...)
This transition ensures that our mission-driven approach is not just a guiding principle but a legal obligation, protecting us from external pressures that might otherwise divert us from our path. The PBC designation also resonates with our community of users, who value ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It provides a clear signal that Kagi is dedicated to making a positive impact on the world, aligning our business practices with the broader goal of societal benefit.