Incident Date: 03/04/2026
Incident Time: 9:15 PM (Eastern Time)

Posted By: Christina Lewis

Lately, there has been a lot of conversation online about whether writers are leaving Medium. If you spend any time in writing communities, blogging groups, or social media discussions about publishing, you’ve probably seen people talking about this issue. Some writers say the platform isn’t the same anymore, while others still believe it’s one of the best places to publish articles online.

So what’s actually happening with Medium right now?

From what many writers have been sharing, the biggest issue seems to revolve around earnings. Medium has long been known for its Partner Program, which allows writers to earn money based on how much time paying members spend reading their articles. In the early years of the program, some writers reported earning a decent side income, and a few even turned Medium writing into a full-time career.

But over the past year or two, many writers have started noticing changes. Some have said their earnings dropped dramatically even though they were still publishing consistently. Writers who once made hundreds of dollars per month from their articles say they suddenly started earning much less for the same amount of work.

Naturally, that created frustration.

When writers feel like their time and effort aren’t being rewarded the way they used to be, they start looking for other platforms where they might have more control over their income. That’s where a lot of people began turning their attention to other publishing platforms like Substack.

Substack has become very popular among independent writers and journalists because it allows creators to build their own email newsletter audience. Instead of relying on an algorithm to distribute content, writers can charge readers directly for subscriptions. This means writers have more ownership over their audience and income.

Because of this model, some well-known Medium writers have slowly started shifting their attention to platforms like Substack or even building their own personal websites. The idea is simple: if you control your audience, you control your income.

But that doesn’t mean Medium is disappearing.

In fact, millions of people still read articles on Medium every day. The platform still has strong visibility in search engines, especially Google. Many writers say that publishing on Medium can help articles rank quickly in search results, which makes it attractive for people who want their writing discovered by a larger audience.

For newer writers, Medium can still be a great place to start because you don’t need an existing following. You can simply publish a story and potentially reach readers who are already browsing the platform.

Another thing that people sometimes forget is that Medium itself has had to go through financial adjustments over the years. Running a publishing platform that supports thousands of writers and millions of readers is expensive. At one point, company leadership even acknowledged that the platform had been losing millions of dollars per month before restructuring parts of the business.

Those changes led to updates in how the recommendation system works, how articles are distributed to readers, and how writers are paid.

Whenever platforms change their systems, it almost always creates mixed reactions. Some writers benefit from the changes, while others feel like their visibility or earnings were reduced.

So the truth is that Medium isn’t exactly “losing writers” in the way some people think. What’s really happening is more of a shift in how writers are using the platform.

Some writers are leaving completely. Others are posting less often. And many are using Medium alongside other platforms rather than relying on it as their only place to publish.

For example, some creators use Medium simply to reach new readers and then direct those readers to their personal blogs, newsletters, or websites. In that sense, Medium becomes more of a traffic source rather than the main place where they earn income.

At the end of the day, the writing world is constantly evolving. Platforms rise, change, and adapt as technology and audiences shift.

Medium is still a major player in online publishing, but writers today have more options than ever before. Because of that, many creators are choosing to spread their work across multiple platforms instead of putting all their energy into just one.

And honestly, that might be the smartest move for writers in today’s digital world.