How Medium Became Another Corporate Walled Garden

Medium used to feel different.

Back when it launched, it actually seemed like they cared about writers. Clean interface. No ads cluttering the page. A simple way to publish and get paid. The Partner Program felt revolutionary.

Imagine that, paying writers based on quality engagement instead of clicks.

Those days are over.

What we're left with is another corporate walled garden that prioritizes profit over the creators who built the damn thing in the first place.

The Payout Problem Nobody Talks About

Medium's payouts have become a joke. Writers who used to earn decent money now scrape together pocket change. The algorithm favors publications with huge followings, leaving independent creators fighting for scraps.

I've talked to writers who saw their earnings drop 70% over two years. Not because their writing got worse. Because Medium decided to funnel more money toward "premium content" from established brands.

Translation: They'd rather pay The Atlantic than you.

The Partner Program now feels like a lottery ticket. Write for months, hope the algorithm notices, maybe earn enough for a coffee. Meanwhile, Medium's taking their cut and serving ads to readers who are supposedly paying for an ad-free experience.

AI Slop Everywhere

Here's what really pisses me off. Medium has become a dumping ground for AI-generated garbage.

Search for any topic and you'll find dozens of posts that read like they were written by a bot having a fever dream. "10 Ways AI Will Transform Your Life" written by someone who clearly copy-pasted from ChatGPT and added some emojis.

The platform that once prided itself on thoughtful, human writing now rewards quantity over quality. The recommendation engine can't tell the difference between genuine insight and algorithmic word salad.

Writers who spend hours crafting something meaningful get buried under an avalanche of "How to Make Money Online" posts that all say the exact same thing.

Blowhards and Empty Calories

Medium has also become the preferred platform for people who love hearing their own voice. You know the type. They write 3,000-word posts about "leadership lessons" that could be summed up in two sentences.

These aren't insights. They're verbal masturbation disguised as thought leadership.

The platform rewards length over substance, so we get endless posts about "the mindset shift that changed everything" that contain zero actionable advice. Just philosophical waxing from people who want to sound important.

Meanwhile, writers creating actual value, like tutorials, personal stories, and practical advice, get lost in the noise.

The Algorithm's Stranglehold

Medium's discovery system has become as opaque and frustrating as any social media platform. They claim to promote "quality content," but the trending page tells a different story.

Generic productivity tips and recycled startup advice dominate. Personal essays and niche expertise get ignored. The algorithm seems designed to surface the blandest possible content to the widest possible audience.

This isn't curation. It's homogenization.

Writers adapt by dumbing down their work, chasing trends instead of writing what matters. The result? A platform full of interchangeable content that says nothing to no one.

Why Creators Are Leaving

Smart writers are abandoning ship. They're moving to Substack, Ghost, or building their own websites. And they're right to.

Substack gives you direct access to your readers. No algorithm deciding who sees your work. No mysterious payout calculations. You set the price, you keep the relationship.

Your own website gives you complete control. WordPress, Ghost, or even a simple static site. You own the content, the design, the monetization strategy.

The email list is everything. When you publish on Medium, you're building Medium's audience. When you have your own newsletter, you're building yours.

The Real Cost of Walled Gardens

Here's what Medium's transformation really represents: the death of the open web.

They lured writers in with promises of fair compensation and editorial freedom. Once they had enough content and users, they changed the rules. Classic enshittification.

Now writers are trapped. Leave Medium and lose the audience you built there. Stay and watch your earnings evaporate while fighting an algorithm that doesn't care about your work.

This is why I don't trust any platform that promises to "empower creators." The business model always wins. Revenue pressures always mount. The creators who built the platform always get squeezed.

Build Your Own Thing

The solution isn't to find the next "creator-friendly" platform. It's to stop depending on platforms entirely.

Start that newsletter. Buy that domain. Build something you control.

Yes, it's harder. You won't have Medium's built-in audience. You'll have to learn about hosting and email deliverability and a dozen other technical details.

But you'll own it. And in a world where platforms rise and fall like fashion trends, ownership is the only thing that matters.

Medium had its moment. That moment is over.

What platform are you using to build something you actually own? Share your setup in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Hi, I'm Joe. I help creators share their unique voices simply and effectively. Here's how I can help you:

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