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At one point I thought that Substack did what Medium should have done. Then I realized they launched many years apart, and probably if Medium had tried the Subs

At one point I thought that Substack did what Medium should have done. Then I realized they launched many years apart, and probably if Medium had tried the Substack approach, it wouldn't have succeeded. I also find it interesting that Substack is now migrating toward an app approach ("read all your articles in this app!"), which is basically what Medium was from the beginning. I have wondered how much the Substack team intended this from the beginning, and if the newsletter angle was largely for differentiation ("what makes you guys different from Medium?"). Also, in case anyone was not aware, Medium's founder/CEO (Ev William) departed this summer. [1] I wonder what the circumstances were, who owned what share, etc. 1: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliecoleman/2022/07/12/medium-founder-evan-williams-is-stepping-down-as-ceo/?sh=3b76528a1cdf https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliecoleman/2022/07/12/medium-...

tonystubblebine 4y ago
He’s still the majority shareholder and effectively in control. I am the new CEO and he is my boss through his role as chairman. I talk to him a couple times a week.
- gnicholas 4y ago
  Thanks for sharing. Is there a way to get in touch? I had chatted with Ev about a collaboration a few years back and would be interested to find out if our tech (which increases reader engagement) would be a fit for the direction you're taking Medium. My contact info is in my profile. Either way, good luck! I will look forward to seeing what you have in store.
- cercatrova 4y ago
  If he's still in control, how does being the CEO work? Isn't he still basically the chief executive decision maker at the end of the day even though you are named CEO?
  - tonystubblebine 4y ago
    This is board dynamics. The CEO runs the company but the board decides whether the CEO keeps their job. Since Ev controls the board he is effectively the decision maker on my job. Thus he is my boss. I talk to him because he knows a lot and we had a prior working relationship. It ends up that he is my sounding board and advisor. But he doesn’t make decisions or plans or lead the teams.

tonystubblebine 4y ago

He’s still the majority shareholder and effectively in control. I am the new CEO and he is my boss through his role as chairman. I talk to him a couple times a week.

gnicholas 4y ago
Thanks for sharing. Is there a way to get in touch? I had chatted with Ev about a collaboration a few years back and would be interested to find out if our tech (which increases reader engagement) would be a fit for the direction you're taking Medium. My contact info is in my profile. Either way, good luck! I will look forward to seeing what you have in store.
cercatrova 4y ago
If he's still in control, how does being the CEO work? Isn't he still basically the chief executive decision maker at the end of the day even though you are named CEO?
- tonystubblebine 4y ago
  This is board dynamics. The CEO runs the company but the board decides whether the CEO keeps their job. Since Ev controls the board he is effectively the decision maker on my job. Thus he is my boss. I talk to him because he knows a lot and we had a prior working relationship. It ends up that he is my sounding board and advisor. But he doesn’t make decisions or plans or lead the teams.