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If I’m Not Getting Paid, My Articles Should Be Free for Everyone

On medium’s earnings being very funny in January 2025

Araci Matos
Fuck Capitalism
4 min readJan 15, 2025

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One day, this moment was bound to come: the first article where I tackle the money-making dynamics of this peculiar platform.

Yeah yeah…The temptation to do so has always lingered, but as a reader, my annoyance at the proliferation of articles grinning at this topic was always more significant.

So, I’ve kept myself from becoming one of those writers addicted to marketing or whatever this is.

But today, as an exception to nearly every rule, I decided to give in, joining the familiar chorus of voices occasionally lamenting how earnings here have plummeted.

First, let’s acknowledge that anyone who has been on Medium for a few years knows this: no one signed a contract with anyone.

We write, first and foremost, because we enjoy it, and second, because we discovered the almost surreal possibility of getting paid for our efforts!

I still marvel at people who find earning a handful of dollars incredible on a platform locked behind a standard paywall. Yet, I understand the amazement, but come on, it’s our time and life spent working here!

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Fuck Capitalism
Fuck Capitalism

Published in Fuck Capitalism

Essays on society, inequality, class discrimination, and how a new system is needed.

Araci Matos
Araci Matos

Written by Araci Matos

Trying to be the Portuguese Annie Ernaux or Elena Ferrante

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