# Substack Cofounder's Media Vision

> Substack cofounder Hamish McKenzie's memoir challenges media's survival amid digital chaos.
- Title: Substack Cofounder's Media Vision · Vanity Fair | Shortify
- Summary: Substack cofounder Hamish McKenzie's memoir challenges media's survival amid digital chaos. Substack's hands-off content moderation helped it avoid Nazi…
- Keywords: substack, hamish mckenzie, nfl, content moderation, five million subscribers, nazi newsletters, newsletter economy, direct relationships, media fragmentation, bili weiss, Cofounder's, Media
- Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/hamish-mckenzie-substack-memoir-interview
- Author: Dan Adler
- Published: 2026-11-02T20:00:04.929+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: substack, hamish mckenzie, nfl, content moderation, five million subscribers, nazi newsletters, newsletter economy, direct relationships, media fragmentation, bili weiss
## Substack's Early Struggles
Substack faced backlash for hosting white-supremacist newsletters in 2023.

> Substack Has a Nazi Problem
## The Platform's Growth
Substack grew to five million paid subscribers after launching in 2017.
## Recent Funding Success
Substack closed a $100 million Series C round at a $1.1 billion valuation last year.
## McKenzie's Book Title
McKenzie's memoir How to Save the Media suggests Substack can fix media's decline.

> How to Save the Media
## McKenzie's Interview
McKenzie called Substack's direct relationships model the key to saving media.

> I’m always going to be like a broken record coming back to the importance of direct relationships
## Nazi Newsletter Controversy
Over 200 writers wrote an open letter opposing Substack's hands-off moderation.
## Platform's Current Position
Substack remains the go-to home for independent journalists and new media operations.
## Bari Weiss Connection
Bari Weiss left The New York Times to build The Free Press on Substack.
## Weiss's Career Shift
Weiss became CBS News editor in chief after Substack success.
## McKenzie's Writing Career
McKenzie worked at Tesla and faced threats from Elon Musk over his book.
## Substack's Independence
Substack avoided acquisitions from Twitter and X to maintain independence.
## Media Fragmentation
Political discourse spreads across many newsletters with minimal overlap.
## Key takeaway

Substack's hands-off content moderation helped it avoid Nazi newsletter backlash while growing to five million paid subscribers.