Is Substack Notes a ‘Twitter clone’? We asked CEO Chris Best.

Musk's Claims

Elon Musk's recent accusations against Substack have stirred significant controversy. He claimed that Substack was attempting to download a large portion of Twitter's database to support its new feature, Substack Notes, which he perceived as a threat 1. Chris Best, CEO of Substack, denied these allegations, emphasizing that they were unfounded and possibly a justification for Twitter's aggressive actions 2.

We think writers should be able to freely share their work. We don't think that this is like a, you know, it's one thing to react to us, it's another thing to, like, kind of take it out on writers, many of whom are your own users.

--- Chris Best

The tension between the platforms highlights the challenges writers face in maintaining reliable channels for their work.

   

Platform Fallout

The fallout from Musk's accusations led to significant disruptions for Substack users. Twitter's actions, including throttling links and marking them as unsafe, forced Substack to pause its use of Twitter's API, impacting writers who relied on both platforms 3. Chris expressed hope for a resolution that would allow Substack to resume API usage and support writers effectively 3.

We are trying to build ways in Substack where you can use the power of the Substack network to grow, to reach new audiences, to have a place in a sub stacky way.

--- Chris Best

Despite the challenges, Substack remains committed to providing a reliable platform for writers to share their work across multiple channels 4.