Substack Co-Founder Claims 10% Platform Fixed Media, as Critics Say It Mimics Social Networks
Updated
Updated · The New Yorker · Oct 26
Substack Co-Founder Claims 10% Platform Fixed Media, as Critics Say It Mimics Social Networks
1 articles · Updated · The New Yorker · Oct 26
Summary
Hamish McKenzie’s new book, “How to Save the Media,” argues Substack’s subscription model has given writers a viable livelihood by helping them charge readers directly while taking a 10% cut.
That case rests on Substack’s rise since 2017 as an alternative to ad-driven platforms, with McKenzie casting it as a decentralized system that lets creators keep control instead of relying on Facebook-like distribution.
Critics in the article say the platform has not revived traditional media so much as fragmented it, rewarding the loudest personal brands and leaving few Substacks with the editorial structures of newsrooms.
Substack also faces the same pressures it once attacked: free-speech disputes over hateful content, a Twitter-like Notes feed, and an app that increasingly resembles the social-media ecosystem it set out to replace.