Medium Emphasizes Importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Online Publishing
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Publishing platform Medium says it’s sticking with DEI
In a recent blog post, Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine reaffirmed the company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. This stance comes at a time when many other major corporations in the U.S. have opted to scale back their efforts in this space.
According to Stubblebine, Medium believes that businesses should not be forced to choose between profitability and inclusivity. Instead, he emphasizes that an inclusive environment is essential for fostering a diverse range of voices and perspectives on the platform. The CEO argues that these differences are what drive innovation, growth, and ultimately, financial success.
Medium’s commitment to DEI has been a cornerstone of its business model since its inception. As a publishing platform, Medium relies heavily on its diverse community of writers and readers. Stubblebine highlights that it is precisely this diversity that enables the company to reach an audience of 100 million people each month and boast over a million paid subscribers.
Furthermore, the CEO emphasizes the importance of having a platform where people can engage with content without facing hate speech, violence threats, or discriminatory language. To achieve this goal, Medium has implemented policies that prohibit hateful content, threats of violence, harassment, racial slurs, promotion of pseudoscience or disinformation, harmful stereotypes, intentional misgendering of individuals, and other threats to the community.
In contrast, some competitors like Substack have chosen to prioritize “free speech” over inclusivity. This has led to controversy, as white nationalists were able to find a platform on the service, ultimately resulting in user backlash.
Medium’s commitment to DEI sets it apart from many major corporations that have recently rolled back their own diversity initiatives. A list of companies that have scaled back their efforts includes McDonald’s, Harley-Davidson, Booz Allen, John Deere, Lowe’s, Ford, Molson Coors, Walmart, and Target.
However, not all companies are backing down. Apple, Delta, Costco, JPMorgan, and McKinsey have publicly stated their intention to continue prioritizing diversity efforts despite the pressure from the Trump administration.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/15/publishing-platform-medium-says-its-sticking-with-dei/
