I see a lot of places where tech people call what Medium did above "pulling the rug" or "bait and switch." I'm always shocked to hear this from tech people.
We know how startups work. A pre-revenue company is by definition going to pivot to a business model or go bankrupt (or often both). I think it's a bad look to act entitled to that pre-revenue period lasting forever. And certainly, it's disingenuous to act surprised.
Then too, if you are an entrepreneur building a partnership with a pre-revenue company, you have to understand that that partnership is not stable. I'd consider it a first principle of business partnerships that both sides need to make money.
So, in the old days when Medium was hemorrhaging cash, that is by definition an unstable partnership. Of course it's going to change.
To me, for the first time ever, Medium is now a stable company to partner with because you basically know what their actual incentives are.
We know how startups work. A pre-revenue company is by definition going to pivot to a business model or go bankrupt (or often both). I think it's a bad look to act entitled to that pre-revenue period lasting forever. And certainly, it's disingenuous to act surprised.
Then too, if you are an entrepreneur building a partnership with a pre-revenue company, you have to understand that that partnership is not stable. I'd consider it a first principle of business partnerships that both sides need to make money.
So, in the old days when Medium was hemorrhaging cash, that is by definition an unstable partnership. Of course it's going to change.
To me, for the first time ever, Medium is now a stable company to partner with because you basically know what their actual incentives are.