I knew Emily by reputation, and this morning when I was looking for a guest and she kindly volunteered. It was a lively conversation.
On her Anonymous Transit Expert: “I can't use his name. I think he would definitely get fired.”
On her much-discussed piece The Machine in the Garden: “I got some really sick readers from it, like Marc Andreessen.” (who is also a sick guest)
I had to awkwardly confess that I hadn’t yet read the piece. Now that I have, I guess I can see why it struck a nerve, but it does seem like the reaction was out of proportion.
On the reaction at the time: “Everyone was like, Substack is a peaceful place, like, let's all be nice. I was like, this isn't a fucking sorority”
What would she do if she were running Substack? Well, a few things, actually! I asked for—and got—her blunt feedback, which I appreciate. “I think you guys have to figure out the app part”. Amen.
Technical note: I decided to try putting together a square asset this time, on the theory that it might be watchable both on a phone and a computer. What do you think?
Emily Sundberg: "This isn't a fucking sorority"