Consequently, this late in the game Medium almost has no choice but to pivot into the #4 locus of value described above: “niche focus on the demand side [like] products and services that specific consumers use to accomplish specific jobs.” Thereafter, monetization is simply a question of: ‘what can we offer that’s scarce and who wants access to it?... See more

In other words, Medium tries to be the Spotify of articles: you can have an audience, but you can’t control it. Pool your content with the rest, and we’ll expose it to readers (listeners) we control, and give you a share of the money we make.

Despite real differences in their jobs, both gig workers and content creators are reckoning with the fact that their livelihoods depend on the actions and algorithms of platforms that they have little to no ability to sway.

- A top journalist at a publication creates more value than she can capture, but that changes if he/she has their own audience communication channel (through a website, newsletter, etc.)