Member-only story
Hello Natalie Portman, Goodbye $500 Bonus
How $1.2 million for writers became just $100k
Two Updates
There have been two significant updates since I published the first version of this article:
- Medium have clarified the licensing terms for the contest and state “the license is nearly the same as the one you grant to Medium outside of the contest.” Full details here.
- A source close to Medium has confirmed “there is zero chance Portman is being paid six figures [for judging the contest].”
Now, onto the original article.
Hello Natalie Portman, Goodbye $500 Bonus
Natalie Portman — who has won an Oscar and two Golden Globes — charges a six-figure sum for speaking engagements.
I can’t imagine her accepting less than six figures to judge the Medium Writers’ Challenge — and that’s money which could be going to Medium writers (update received on this — a source close to Medium has clarified Portman wouldn’t be paid a six-figure sum for judging the contest).
Portman has a net worth of $90 million, and a monthly income of $800k.
I have nothing against Natalie Portman, she’s an amazing actress. But I do have serious questions about how Medium is choosing to spend its money.
Medium has reduced writer income by ending the $500 bonus. Some of that money is now going to judges who don’t really need it.
The choices Medium is making are bad for its most loyal and top-performing writers.
And even Medium’s own judges aren’t a fan of contests that pay writers as little as $100… (one of Medium’s judges told a contest to “go fuck themselves”, more on that in a moment).
Medium is Saying Goodbye to its $2.25 Million Bonus Handout
Earlier this year, Medium surprised its top 1,000 writers by handing them a $500 bonus for their performance in April. That’s a total bonus payment of $500,000. For many writers (including myself) this bonus was more than their baseline earnings.
