Following up: an update on #ComplexityThoughts

Sustaining the journey together

Quick recap → Recently, something changed in this space (see the dedicated post).

In this post I will:

• Share the results of your feedback and comments on the recent changes.

• Introduce two new ways you can help this space grow, and get rewarded for it.

• Explain why this matters and what the real experiment is behind #ComplexityThoughts

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Over the past few days, I’ve read through hundreds of your replies to those changes in #ComplexityThoughts. I must admit: I wasn’t prepared for what I felt while reading them.

The sheer kindness, encouragement and thoughtful reflections you shared left me humbled. I always knew this newsletter had a community, but it turns out we have something far stronger: a network of more than 2,500 curious, generous and engaged minds who truly believe in this journey.

I have analyzed your feedbacks with the help of some NLP and chatGPT, obtaining the results summarized as follows:

The above result is amazing, and mostly unexpected. It shows that 80% of you agrees with this experiment and that I will also have to care about that ~11% who do not see this change positively.

Some of you called the work “amazing”, “essential”, even “making the internet a better place”. I would like to share just some of your comments, to thank you:

This kind of move shows the true interest and willing you have to make this project work. It makes the internet a better, more human place. To me, you just positioned yourself in the list of my top writers. Thank you very much for the gift and transparency.

→ Dear friend, I do my best.

I hope it'll help you reach a broader audience. The work you do is amazing.

→ That’s exactly what I hope for, too. Thank you.

Keep up the good work, that helps to decript the growing complexity of the world

→ Surely I will.

I love the publication and I wish you can a model that keeps it visible for others and rewarding for you.

→ My best reward is not financial: it’s this community.

Great job, I am a big fan of you.

→ I wish to deserve it.

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Other readers offered constructive, heartfelt perspectives on the changes: from gentle critiques of my “terrible business model” (which might be true!) to reminders that knowledge should remain open, visible and shared. I value every single one of these messages.

Some of the comments I really liked about this:

I suppose I'd care more about archival issues being accessible rather than new ones (and offering new issues to subscribers first is an alternative and common enough model), but particularly given most issues of ComplexityThoughts collect references to papers available elsewhere, perhaps that matters less. I'd say it's worth trying this model for now, though, it seems very fair and I appreciate the dedication to open knowledge.

→ Thanks for this feedback. But the spirit of this space is to stay in touch with the community with an average frequency of two weeks. I really like the idea that every subscriber will have access to my posts as they are published. Nevertheless, if this will not work to hack the platform, I will surely take into account other possibilities for a second experiment next year.

If it really holds the growth of the newsletter then I guess it's a reasonable experiment and I appreciate you are trying to keep it as cheap as possible. Personally, I would likely return to the free subscriber model after 1 year simply because the likelihood of returning to something older than 10 weeks is quite low. If the letter has discussed something I am interested in (which is often the case) I tend to take note and/or keep a copy.

→ Yes, that’s why I have chosen 10 weeks ;-)

10 weeks of access is actually generous and a very nice feature.

→ Thanks for appreciating it.

Maybe authors and readers could ask for a one-time donation or tip, something like Ko-Fi or PayMeACoffee

→ Remind that the point is not about making money.

"Free subscribers will have access to the most recent 10 weeks of content" - Not the best idea from a business sense. When you share posts etc, it may create a lacking sense of urgency. Also 10 is a lot! Might want to balance things better. One compromise is ~3-5 recent ones, but on social media and in your posts regularly backlink and cross-refer to older posts, with periodic big evergreen deep dives

→ Thanks for highlighting my bad business model. I really appreciate the fact that someone thinks I could make better plans to get some revenue, but that’s not the point. Nevertheless, I might go back to your suggestion if a second experiment will be needed next year.

Nice move, in order to evaluate the content. It's a free 365 days trial 😊

→ It is! Thank you for appreciating it.

Note. A few readers seemed to think this move to a hybrid paid model was motivated by financial gain. It’s important for me to be absolutely clear: my reward is not in the revenue. It’s in knowing that this newsletter is solid, useful and loved: that it’s doing its job of decoding complexity and sparking curiosity.

The only reason for this change is to see whether we can outsmart the platform’s algorithmic biases and reach more people without losing our soul.

Said that, here some of your comments:

Let's use this format ie substack for its community potential rather than its revenue potential. Thank you for your commitment to this essential part of living well.

→ Fully agree. This platforms provides some tools that I find useful to mix the blog with the newsletter, that’s why I still think that it is worth investing time here.

Every effort should be paid, i totally consent it.

→ Thank you. I happily did this for free over 3 years. This change is an attempt to validate my hypothesis that the platform was hindering our growth.

Research blogs wouldn't need to be promoted by the substack algorithm, if there was some simple other way to find relevant blogs. I.e. if it was 'normal' to run and share substacks. But that sounds more like a collective / communal change, so I don't think there's a simple way to implement anything that will work and last. In any case, I think you're doing a very valuable job for the community, thanks so much!

→ You got the point: let’s stick on the tools we have now, mostly on my side for the technicalities.

I think it's a valid idea to see if adding a paid option helps - it'd be definitely great if this project can grow :) I enjoy it a lot

→ Thank you!

If it helps the project grow, go for it! Thanks for being transparent and thank you so much for the gift

→ Thanks for appreciating it. I do my best, since I do love this space.

If the experiment succeeds and ComplexityThoughts explode, could we consider an early-member waiver? :)

→ Hey, you can bet on it! I had already thought about this and you can surely count on a long-term reward.

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Two ways to share

To help grow this network and keep our mission alive, you now have two more ways to bring new readers into #ComplexityThoughts, while getting rewarded for it.

1. The Referral Plan
Invite friends to subscribe via your personal referral link: Referral Leaderboard
Earn rewards as your network grows:

• 10 referrals → 3 free months

• 15 referrals → 6 free months

• 30 referrals → 12 free months

2. Five free Gift Subscriptions for Paying Subscribers
If you’re a paying subscriber, you now have five free 1-month gift subscriptions (usual value $25) to share with friends, colleagues or students who might love #ComplexityThoughts.

You can send them directly through your account: each gift gives them full paid access for one month. It’s a perfect way to introduce them to our work without cost or commitment.

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Why this matters, and the real experiment

One reader, Scott Chen, described this as “a real complex systems experiment” where each subscriber’s decision might determine the future free/paid balance. I loved the metaphor, but the true experiment is something deeper.

We are probing the closed machinery of the platform itself, to see whether we can balance two competing forces:

1. the algorithmic pressures that push certain models over others

2. the mission to keep academic knowledge open, accessible and meaningful, while growing a thriving global community

This is a living example of complexity in action: a system of readers, platform and creator adapting together.

Your messages have shown me that this isn’t just my project anymore. It’s ours. And that changes everything.

With deep gratitude,
Manlio