This Week in Startups

Medium: Reaching Profitability while The Internet is Broken + CorePod | E2003

Sep 5, 2024

Tony Stubblebine, CEO of Medium, discusses the platform's innovative approach to combating the broken ad-driven internet. He explores Medium's subscription model that prioritizes quality content and user experience. The impact of AI on content creation is addressed, including challenges with spam and the ethics of data use. Stubblebine also shares insights on Medium's growth, financial milestones, and the importance of diverse perspectives to enhance reader experiences.

01:18:56

Creator website

Episode guests

Tony Stubblebine

AI Summary

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The podcast discusses the limitations of AI in replicating the depth of human thought necessary for quality writing.

It highlights the broken internet's reliance on ad-based models that compromise content quality and promote misinformation.

Medium's subscription model focuses on curating high-quality writing while ensuring fair compensation for authors, distancing itself from clickbait tactics.

Deep dives

AI's Impact on Writing

AI's potential to revolutionize writing is questioned, emphasizing that writing is fundamentally a form of thinking. The speaker shares personal experiences of attempting to integrate AI into their writing process, describing it as unsatisfactory. There is a concern that AI-generated content often lacks the depth and understanding that comes from genuine human thought. This perspective raises doubts about AI's current ability to replicate the nuanced and reflective nature of writing.

Beware the Cost of Attention: Quality Suffers in Ad-Based Models

02:47

Expertise Beats Media: Seek the Real Opportunity

02:59

Growth is Guideline, Not Goal

01:05

Streamline Communication to Enhance Customer Experience

05:13

Intro

2min

Rethinking Internet Content Models

9min

Curation and Content Quality

7min

Exploring the Economics of Writing and the Importance of Diverse Perspectives

3min

Financial Solutions and Multilingual Expansion Insights

4min

Navigating the AI Challenge in Content Creation

6min

Enhancing Business Communication and Revenue Insights

2min

Navigating Content and AI Partnerships

32min

Revitalizing Medium and Innovation in Mental Health

9min

10.

Crafting Interactive Sleep Coaching Software

4min

11.

Navigating the Challenges of Hardware Startups

2min

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Timestamps:

(0:00) Tony Stubblebine of Medium joins Alex.

(3:10) The broken internet and ad-based models

(5:57) Impact of AI on content creation and platform quality

(10:01) Medium's curation and financial model

(11:18) Notion - Try notion projects for free at https://www.notion.so/twist

(18:23) Medium's growth, geographic expansion, and AI translation

(20:02) Brex - Get the business account trusted by 1 in 3 US startups at ⁠https://www.brex.com/twist24

(22:05) AI-driven media platforms and the impact of AI spam

(29:32) OpenPhone - TWiST listeners can get an extra 20% off any plan for your first 6 months at https://www.openphone.com/twist⁠

(30:59) Medium's subscriber growth and financial milestones

(34:35) AI data exclusivity and challenges in forming training data cohorts