Goodbye, Substack

Look, I get it. Nothing I'm about to say is new. You've probably heard this before, and you've made your own decision based on your own calculus. I have to accept that. I've made mine, too. Unfortunately, that means I can't contribute to your Substack, and I definitely won't be publishing content there. It's not you. It's me—and my aversion to Substack's Nazi problem.

This isn't a new problem. In fact, others have been covering it for years now. This also isn't Substack CEO Chris Best's first time founding a service known for its problematic stance platforming violent offenders. He previously co-founded Kik Messenger, which was branded as a "predator's paradise" while also stonewalling law enforcement investigations into child sexual exploitation. But don't take my word for it. Watch Best in action below.

On top of my issues with Best and Co.'s stance on platforming Nazis and just generally being bad human beings hiding behind the veil of "free speech," I also try to avoid companies with significant ties to Andreessen Horowitz because, well, they're also morally bankrupt people hiding behind thinly veiled excuses while financially benefitting from the Nazification of American institutions.

With all of that said, I realize Substack offers a very attractive value proposition to independent creators writing on controversial topics. I can sympathize particularly with the unemployed freelance writers enticed by a free platform with built-in networking and monetization. There are numerous individuals and organizations that I respect on Substack, and it saddens me that in order to financially support them, I would also have to support Substack's conscious decision to platform Nazi ideology.

So, what am I doing instead? For one, I chose Ghost as my platform of choice for blogging and newsletter distribution. Ghost is a non-profit dedicated to re-investing one hundred percent of its revenue back into its product and community. For those who'd prefer not to pay Ghost to host their site, the code is open source, which allows you to take full control of your platform. Their Ghost(Pro) options are affordably priced and alleviate the overhead of having to secure and maintain your own servers when you're first starting out.

I don't want this to turn into too much of a fanboy pitch for Ghost—there are many other choices available—but they're also integrating some really fun networking features built on Activity Pub and the Fediverse that are somewhat comparable to Substack Notes. I haven't seen the same level of enthusiasm and widespread adoption, but it's a promising trajectory for the platform. Oh, and they pass all revenue directly through to creators (minus whatever transaction fees Stripe might charge). So, the only cost is hosting, as opposed to Substack's 10% fee.

I've also made the decision to delete my Substack user accounts. I created one reluctantly because I wanted to be able to follow, like, and comment on posts from one of my favorite creators. Then, a professional organization automatically enrolled me with another email. Then, as former federal employees began leaving government service and started setting up on Substack I found myself subscribing to more and more accounts.

It felt wrong when I started, but I told myself it was okay as long as I wasn't publishing on Substack or paying for services. In a time when so many vulnerable people and institutions are under attack by the ideologies Substack willfully monetizes, I just can't do it anymore. So, I've deleted my accounts and am enforcing my self-imposed boycott. Few, if any, will miss one freeloader, but to bastardize John Muir: My conscience is calling, and I must go.

I'm not out to impose my views on anyone who's decided Substack is the best choice for them, but I do hope everyone will take a moment to seriously weigh the impact of their decisions. Finally, I realize I'm exercising fair amount of privilege by arguing that a bunch of freelancers should use a paid service over a free one. I'm also an unemployed former fed myself, so it's not like I'm rolling in cash either.