I've met a lot of dealers and I am still waiting for my free coke...

Free certificates were free, no trick. Of course they recommended their paid offer, but there is nothing wrong with that.

You may argue that StartSSL turned some webmasters into https addicts but it is not exactly a bad thing isn't it? Remember that Let's Encrypt didn't exist back then.

No. No they don't. Coke is a very expensive product.

You’re thinking of other drugs with intensely addictive properties, like heroin. Cocaine is way too expensive to hand out much more than a free bump or two, maybe a line, and that’s not necessarily enough to addict someone. Some people can do all the blow they want and not get addicted at all, which is obviously not a good RoI for the dealer.

So I hear, anyway...

> Some people can do all the blow they want and not get addicted at all

Many users think they are such a person.