Hi Katie, I read Tony’s article and was left wondering how this was going to work. Good that you applied:))
In short, Medium once ranked as an authority.
Then Ev’s changes with the model. You are so right about SEO. Writers left. Still do. It’s become a different bag of writing, but not what Google ranks as Page 1 material.
We forget SEO plays a large role in the bottom line of how Medium sustains itself.
Tony needs to regain Medium’s ranking to be sustainable long term. Or, change their business model again.
You noted having a hard time finding a story that meets curation standards.
What is fun for us to write, does not meet the business model they need. Which is why MEDIUM PICKS are stories none of us want to read.
So now what do we do? This remains to be seen.