Friends of Medium sounds like a solicitation, but, hey, not much we can do

Around August, Medium introduced a new algorithm. It was supposed to reward writers more fairly and battle the evil AI. I immediately felt the impact of Medium’s noble and generous approach. Check out my earnings and how they have evolved since August (I know I said in the past I’d never share them, but this story is different).

I have mixed feelings about writing this story. On the one hand, I’m all for the ‘don’t complain, keep working’ mantra. I could’ve written a deeper story instead of this rant.

But it’s fucking frustrating — and not even the decreased earning but how the changes were advertised. Misleading and hypocritical. I write! My stories are not perfect, but they are genuine and authentic. I never use AI. I don’t write generic stuff about ten hacks to improve your productivity or how to improve your 5k time. I share life stories and experiences. And this is my reward from Medium’s revamped algorithm?

And now there is an invitation to become a friend of Medium. I admit I didn't even read it carefully. Maybe it’s not directed at me. Well, it’s directed at Medium users. They are being asked to pay something. Again, something noble and cozy is being advertised.

Sounds like a lie to me.