Helen Tobin

Head of Communications, @SubstackInc l Formerly @TheAtlantic @people @AAknopf l @USC & @NYUStern alum

[Rolling Stone @RollingStone]

A wave of artists, like Charli XCX and Doechii, are using Substack to take control of their narratives and to have deeper conversations with fans. Is it working? https://t.co/MPftFsmca8

[Substack @Substack]

Ownership of TikTok has officially changed hands, leading to widespread throttling of political posts.

[Cassandra Unchained @michaeljburry]

Jack Clark @jackclarkSF co-founder of Anthropic @claudeai, Dwarkesh Patel @dwarkeshpodcast, and I had a good discussion, and it has been published, free to all, at the link below. I greatly admire both Jack and Dwarkesh and was happy to participate.

The AI revolution is here. Will the economy survive the transition?
https://t.co/3yPqLJ3HK0

[Chris Best @chrisbest]

The Online Safety Act is giving us "papers, please" for the internet.

The UK already arrests over ten thousand people per year for online communications offenses, the OSA adds classification and identify verification.

[Jonathan Haidt @JonHaidt]

I love Substack. It is really designed for writers and readers.

[Brandon Carter @brandonetc]

kicker of the century, published on a substack. amazing stuff

[Hamish McKenzie @hamishmckenzie]

Launched on Substack in the last few days

Charli XCX
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss
Dolly Parton

[Ezra Klein @ezraklein]

.@DKThomp is moving to Substack and it's going to be so, so good. Here's part of his manifesto:

"In bookstores, Abundance tends to reside in the current affairs section. But this is really a book about attention. It’s about the questions Democrats haven’t been focused on and the solutions hiding in places they might not be looking. It’s about locating new ideas in liberalism’s field of vision."

"As the reception to Abundance bloomed, I realized I wanted to devote my full time as an independent writer and thinker to develop ideas in this space."

[Terry Moran 🇺🇸 @TerryMoran]

I was a reporter and anchor for ABC News. And as you may have heard … I'm not there anymore.

Now I'm on Substack, that amazing space, and I can't wait to get into the important work that we all have to do.

[The New Yorker @NewYorker]

Many writers—both household names and passionate amateurs—are finding success on the same platform: Substack. https://t.co/ei3EzRZYIL

[Hamish McKenzie @hamishmckenzie]

The story of how @chrisbest and I built Substack, thanks to @guyraz and @HowIBuiltThis

https://t.co/5Y3hTne4sm

[Mario Gabriele @mariogabriele]

In this week’s episode of The Generalist podcast, I’m joined by Substack founders Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie.

The Substack Playbook: Inside The $650M Platform Rewriting Media, Trust, and Creator Economics | Chris Best & Hamish McKenzie (Co–Founders)

In a world where attention is fragmented and algorithms rule the content landscape, @chrisbest and @hamishmckenzie are taking a radically different approach with @substack. Rather than chasing clicks, Substack focuses on a simple yet powerful idea: creators should own their work and make money directly from their audience through paid subscriptions. With over 5 million paid subscriptions and tens of millions of active readers, Substack has turned this model into a transformative force in media. In this episode, Chris and Hamish unpack how they’re reshaping creator economics, navigating AI’s role in creativity, and enabling a new era for writers, from serialized fiction to short–form video. Their bet? That if content adds real value—whether it educates, entertains, or helps people earn—audiences will pay for it.

Listen now:
• YouTube: https://t.co/kyKjCg8elq
• @spotifypodcasts: https://t.co/KO0ZVt0ZIF
• Apple: https://t.co/vWdkog86WO

A big thank you to the incredible sponsors that make the podcast possible:
✨ Vanta — Automate compliance and simplify security: https://t.co/nlYNM3rpLj
✨ Brex — The banking solution for startups: https://t.co/WsjMETvEON
✨ WorkOS — The modern identity platform for B2B SaaS: https://t.co/du94v4NG4E

In our conversation, we explore:
→ How Substack grew from a simple newsletter tool to a multi–format media platform with 5 million+ paid subscriptions
→ Why the "soul connection" between creators and audiences is becoming more valuable in an AI–dominated world
→ The inside story of Substack's clash with Elon Musk and how it ultimately strengthened their platform
→ Why the ceiling for great writing and culture might be much higher than we're currently imagining
→ How Substack's subscription model creates dramatically better economics for creators than ad–supported platforms
→ Chris's "grand unified theory" for how AI will influence content creation and consumption
→ Why their short–form content isn't just a "sticky trick" but a pathway to deeper engagement and discovery
→ The future of traditional prestige media brands

… And much more!

[Truth Tellers @sirharrysummit]

"The attention economy, the eyeball economy, the fact that people are spending a lot of their time in these apps on their phone... That's not going to go back. To me the interesting question is how do we make the most of that?" @chrisbest @substack

#SirHarrySummit

[Jessica Testa @jtes]

Anchors aweigh ...... you might say

[Hamish McKenzie @hamishmckenzie]

We are partnering with @TheFIREorg to stand up for free speech in the face of recent government actions against critics of U.S. foreign policy.

We will work to protect writers who are targeted in this way.

[Alex Weprin @alexweprin]

Author James Patterson is launching a Substack, and he tells me he plans to take on "haters," book banners, and Hollywood: https://t.co/2KNSx6kkHX

[Chris Best @chrisbest]

Fight! Fight!

and/or respectfully discuss interesting topics!

[ArtButMakeItSports @ArtButSports]

The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew , by Jusepe de Ribera, 1618, 📸 by @ShotgunSpr

[Sara Fischer @sarafischer]

Independent journalist era takes off
— Substack on track to more than double its politics & news subscribers in 2024
— # of Substack journalists in news & politics making more than $1M has doubled over the past year - now in "double digits"
https://t.co/5cv9stWeRf

[Chris Best @chrisbest]

My full conversation with @pmarca. Enjoy!