Substack was founded to create an escape vehicle for writers: Chris Best and Hamish McKenzie imagined a world where writers didn’t have to rely on legacy publications or corporate advertisers, but could instead create a more direct and meaningful relationship with their audience. Despite early skepticism, Chris and Hamish were confident that many people woul ... Show More
Dec 2020
Can Substack CEO Chris Best build a new model for journalism?
Nilay Patel talks to Chris Best, cofounder and CEO of Substack, the subscription newsletter startup that’s taken the media industry by storm over the past few months.
The conversation explores how Substack's business model could potentially impact the media industry, but also div ... Show More
1 h
Sep 2025
Chris Best of Substack on the Future of Media
<p>What if the future of media isn’t controlled by algorithms or legacy institutions—but by independent voices building directly with their audiences?</p><p>In this episode, Erik Torenberg is joined by Chris Best, cofounder and CEO of Substack, along with a16z general partners Ka ... Show More
46m 23s
May 2025
How Substack is breaking down traditional media gatekeepers | Hamish McKenzie
“The whole Substack ecosystem is about more power because it’s based on those relationships between the publisher and their subscribers, or the video maker and their viewers,” says journalist and Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie. Following his talk at TED2025, McKenzie is in c ... Show More
22m 36s
Apr 2020
#63 with Andrew Wilkinson - Buying cash-flowing internet companies, starting job boards and building no code projects
Sam (@thesamparr) and Shaan (@shaanvp) are joined today by Andrew Wilkinson (@awilkinson) who is the co-founder of Tiny (tinycapital.com) - the internet version of Berkshire Hathaway. Shaan also launched a newsletter version of the podcast, subscribe to it to receive startup idea ... Show More
1h 18m
Feb 2025
From Startup to $40M Exit – And We’re Still Just Brothers
<p>Most founders feel isolated after selling their company. Chris and David Sinkinson didn’t—because they had each other.</p><p>The brothers built and sold their startup, AppArmor, for $40 million. But unlike many founders who struggle with identity and purpose post-exit, they ha ... Show More
44m 7s