OpenAI bought TBPN, a16z has 250K subs: tech firms pour millions into owned media
danshipper · x · 2026-10-01
danshipper amplified denktweets' observation that tech companies are pouring millions into building their own media assets.
- OpenAI acquired tech news site TBPN; Anthropic's YouTube channel has 800K+ subscribers.
- Stripe's cofounder hosts the Cheeky Pint podcast and publishes Works in Progress bimonthly; Microsoft prints a 120-page magazine called Signal.
- a16z's newsletter has 250K subscribers and brought in the Turpentine podcast network; Shopify runs a newsletter staffed by former journalists; Figma launched a print magazine at Config.
- Notion's YouTube channel has 349K subscribers; Ramp launched Leading Indicators built on its own spend data; Brex has also launched content products.
Takeaway: media is a good business — major companies are now cultivating owned audiences instead of just buying distribution.
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