The problem isn’t just that Substack makes money off Nazis, it’s that they don’t seem to care who they make it from.

Substack is still the easiest option for creating a newsletter, especially for creators without the time, tools, or tech fluency to self-host. You can’t make something really beautiful, but it’s hard to fuck it up.

I’ve had conversations with editors at some of the largest news and politics Substack newsletters—all have expressed frustration with the platform and a desire to leave, but feel constrained by the lack of infrastructure or certainty offered by other options. Ideally, I would put all those folks on an email chain and they’d orchestrate an exit together. (Congrats to me for inventing the magazine!)

For now, I don’t judge them for staying put. I’m most hopeful about reaching those who have a choice right now—people just starting their newsletters, or whose Substack isn’t their primary source of income. The ones who default to Substack. The market for alternatives will expand with demand. Make some demand.