Launching with bridges to already-encrypted messengers, then immediately admitting this has to MITM them to work, doesn't make a good first impression...especially since users of these messengers will likely be more privacy-minded than most.

This is also making a bet that the inconvenience of juggling these 3 particular messengers is worth $5 a month.

IMO the real value in Matrix bridging that's been neglected (and has been mentioned elsewhere in these comments) is connecting different messengers _to each other_. Being able to connect friends/family scattered across different, otherwise-isolated protocols with a single "just works" tool is a much clearer value proposition than what feels like just another multi-protocol client.

Alas, getting that kind of multi-connectivity is tricky...as is VoIP bridging, which this doesn't support either, but should be considered as crucial for any Matrix bridge.

I don't doubt Matrix/Element will get there at some point, but for now this feels a tad premature.