This Week in Startups

Why Medium is HIDING from AI | E2179

9 snips
Sep 16, 2025
Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium, discusses their innovative Really Simple Licensing initiative aimed at compensating writers fairly. Delving into the AI dilemma, he emphasizes the importance of protecting creators from unauthorized content use. James Smith, from Human Native, shares insights on the emotional stakes involved for writers compared to data-driven tech firms. Finally, Jason Marks introduces his urban-focused electric mini-truck, highlighting its unique design and the need for efficient vehicles in city living.
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INSIGHT

AI Threatens The Public Internet

  • Generative AI is changing how the web functions by massively increasing crawls and queries against publishers' content.
  • Tony Stubblebine warns this breaks the value exchange that sustains a public internet and risks a "dead internet" of AI slop.
ADVICE

Form A Coalition To Regain Leverage

  • Build coalitions rather than negotiate one-off deals to regain leverage with AI companies.
  • Medium signed RSL quickly because an industry standard beats vendor lock-in and isolated agreements.
INSIGHT

Passing Payments Directly To Writers

  • Medium will pass nearly all money from AI licensing to the individual writers, not keep it as platform revenue.
  • Tony positions this as a moral and strategic differentiator versus other platforms.
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