But if a startup does something similar like highlighting the most expensive option on a subscription page, it is called growth hacking and we applaud the CEO and designers.
Everything is relative. If you define "evil pattern" as a design that encourages a certain action that you (the makers/owners) want the user to do for your own benefit, then practically every single sign up form or landing page is an evil pattern too. Heck, almost every form of marketing could be considered an evil pattern by that definition as well.
I'd suggest a better definition - "evil pattern" is "a design that encourages a certain action that you (the makers/owners) want the user to do, which provides negative value for said user relative to alternatives".
Your job as an entrepreneur should be to steer your users toward options that are optimal for him/her and charge accordingly. Trying to trick your user into choosing something worse for him so that you can profit more is just dickish, period.
> almost every form of marketing could be considered an evil pattern by that definition as well
Because it often is, and it's bewildering how people are used to it - to the point they turned cheating and abuse into a legitimate occupation.
