Substack’s co-founder: Elon Musk ‘saw it as a declaration of war’ episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 19, 2025 · 43 MIN

Substack’s co-founder: Elon Musk ‘saw it as a declaration of war’

from Media Confidential

This week on Media Confidential, Alan and Lionel are joined by Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack.The platform, which now has over five million paid subscriptions, allows writers to self-publish their newsletters and make money directly from readers.Since launching in 2017, it has gained huge popularity with journalists and the public.Alan, Lionel and Hamish discuss what makes it fundamentally different to other social media sites, including the platform's surprising approach to content moderation. Hamish also shares how Elon Musk offered to buy Substack, and why he was turned down.Plus, Lionel makes a faux pas... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Substack’s co-founder: Elon Musk ‘saw it as a declaration of war’

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