To what extent did you expect to see the magnitude of recent defections from major media outlets, which have proven to be a boon for your business? If substack hadn’t existed, do you think people would have defected in similar numbers, but just gone elsewhere?
One of the good things Substack can do is put competitive pressure on traditional outlets. If people want to go independent, having a good way to do so helps them. But also that possibility creates pressure on existing institutions to give writers more freedom, pay them better, etc. etc. I don't think it's a coincidence that you see more legacy publishers starting "newsletter" divisions that give writers more leeway. All of this is good for writers in our minds and we're happy for it.
If you had launched as a mobile app/website with written content, you would not have been as differentiated as you were as a newsletter-focused organization. You've always had a website, and now you're building mobile apps.
Do you think that in a few years, people will look at the the early days, in which you were thought of as a newsletter-based company, as analogous to Netflix's early days, where they were thought of as a DVD-by-mail company? I notice that like Netflix, you didn't pick a name that is tied to your first incarnation.
Congratulations on all of your successes!