In 2006, BitTorrent, Inc. acquired µTorrent. While the software remained free, the transition marked the beginning of a shift from user-centric design to revenue generation.
Around version 3.2, the client began incorporating advertisements. Initially, these were static banners, but they evolved into resource-intensive web-rendering elements within the application. The installation process became notorious for "dark patterns"—deceptive UI design where the "Next" button was large, while the "Decline" button for adware bundles was small or hidden. utorrent classic