This Week in Startups

Why Medium is HIDING from AI | E2179

52 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

RSL Blocks Training But Allows Summaries

  • RSL currently blocks training while allowing summarization with attribution and links back to original work.
  • Medium sees RAG summaries as partial value but far weaker than direct traffic and full attribution.
ANECDOTE

Em Dashes Became A Signature Of Medium

  • Medium's editor popularized em dashes which later became a signal in language models.
  • Tony realized platform idiosyncrasies can influence model outputs and even poison models if desired.
ADVICE

Negotiate With Concrete Numbers

  • Don't announce aggressive platform-wide changes until you can present concrete economic terms to creators.
  • Tony stresses negotiations need a price to make sense to writers and to start meaningful dialogue with AI firms.
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