On with Kara Swisher

Inside the Elon-Substack Drama with Chris Best & Hamish McKenzie

Apr 13, 2023

Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie, co-founders of Substack, dive into the turmoil surrounding their platform amid Elon Musk's recent criticisms. They clarify the intentions behind Substack Notes, countering the notion it's a Twitter clone. Highlighting the challenges of newsletter monetization versus social media models, they reflect on the impact of their platform's approach to free expression. The duo discusses how current tensions shape the future of content creation, emphasizing Substack's growth and evolving dynamics in the industry.

56:05

Episode guests

Hamish McKenzie

Chris Best

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The State of Newsletters

02:14

How SubSAC plans to create deep relationships with its readers

02:21

Intro

2min

Musk vs. Substack: A Platform Clash

9min

Revisiting Controversies and Business Challenges

2min

Tensions Between Blogging and Social Media: The Substack and Twitter Ultimatum

2min

Clarifying API Usage and Misconceptions

2min

The Substack-Twitter Tension

15min

Navigating Success: The Substack Experience

2min

Trump's Legal Battles and Substack's Evolution

10min

Substack's Strategic Journey

14min

Last week, Elon kicked off a feud with both Substack and his very own former Twitter Files ingénue (and Substack star), Matt Taibbi. Kara and Nayeema break down the battle of the bros before turning to an interview with those at the center of the storm: Substack co-founders Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie.

The two address questions about Substack Notes (which Elon dubbed, and they deny, is a “Twitter clone”), the challenging business model of newsletters and their stance on free expression. Somehow, they manage to avoid uttering the name “Elon.” Kara doesn’t shy away though.

Questions? Comments? Email us at on@voxmedia.com or find us on Twitter @karaswisher and @nayeema

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