The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway First Time Founders: Has Substack Changed Media For Good?
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Feb 1, 2026 
Chris Best, co-founder and CEO of Substack, a builder of creator-driven platforms. He traces Substack’s origin from a sabbatical essay and why paid newsletters struck a chord. They explore adding short-form Notes, the push into video and live formats, and how platform rules and exportable audiences shape trust and community.
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New Economic Engine For Culture
- The internet disrupted gatekeepers but left no reliable economic engine for writers.
- Substack's core idea was to fuse a new economic model with simple paid publishing to sustain creators.
Paywalls Reflect Deeper Incentives
- Substack's innovation was not just email but aligning incentives: writers keep most revenue while platform succeeds only if creators do.
- The paywall is a manifestation of a deeper social contract that values paid direct relationships over ad-driven attention markets.
First Customer Validated The Model
- Substack's first customer, Bill Bishop, brought immediate traction when six-figure revenue arrived within hours of launch.
- That early breakthrough convinced Chris Best they had product-market fit despite few similar customers initially.