The Mysterious Medium Bug No One Talked About - Until Now
When Affiliate Marketing Backfires: A True Story Close to the Hearts of Many Creators on any Borrowed Platform or Business Channel
Business Leadership in Difficult Times: Lessons in Ethics, Accountability, and Sustainability for Freelancers and Startup Builders Told Through a Leadership Lens When Costly Mistakes Are Made
Dear Friends, Happy weekend! I trust this post finds you well. I first published this piece on Medium, since many writers affected by the issue are still active there. Later, I decided to share it on Substack as a case study for freelance writers and startup builders. While this story was sparked by Medium’s handling of what they eventually described as a long-standing technical flaw or “an expensive bug favouring creators” (ironically), the deeper lessons go far beyond any single platform. Due to the length of the story, you may try to read it on the web with an open mind and heart. This story is not a criticism but aims to serve as a valuable lesson in a business case study. I made it free for all subscribers so that many can benefit from this valuable ethnographic case study. This story is not about losing a small income stream—it is about the erosion of trust, the absence of transparency, and the hours of effort quietly lost by writers and editors. I see it as a case study in platform risk, something every creator in the digital economy should be aware of. I write this not just as a content creator, but as an educator and long-time community builder who feels a responsibility to help others recognize these blind spots before they become personal losses.
Greetings from Melbourne on Election Day
I tend to catch announcements late — partly because my inbox is a digital jungle where bulk emails quietly disappear into hidden folders. I even forgot it was election day in Australia today until my wife gently reminded me, mid-sentence, while I was deep in writing chapters of a memoir book, “The Zen of Book Authoring,” which I am genuinely excited to share soon.
What pulled me away this morning was not politics, but a surprising discovery: all my referral earnings on a platform I had supported for years had vanished. At first, I assumed everyone I brought in had suddenly left.
It genuinely concerned me. I even texted a few of my longtime readers — some of whom live in the same country as I do — just to ask, “Did you leave, or was it something I said?” To my relief, they replied cheerfully: “Still here, mate! What’s up?” That little check-in felt like finding your wallet right where you left it after assuming it was gone for good.
But when I reached out to the kind support team, they explained it with calm efficiency: “Hello, we sent you an email in April. The program ended.”
There it was — an email sent in early April. I had missed my April Fool’s surprise. Except this time, it was real. Not a joke. Just a buried message with very real consequences.
That email became the starting point for this story, which is not just about a technical decision but also about the deeper expectations we build when we partner with a platform, invest trust, and share our audience.
When I Was in Love with Medium
I remember the early days of Medium’s affiliate referral program with cautious optimism. Like many freelance writers, I believed a trusted platform opening the door to shared revenue was a meaningful step.
It was framed as a win-win: helping grow the community and earning recurring income for each member who joined through our links. Thousands of us did just that.
We placed our trust, creativity, and credibility behind the platform. We promoted it on our websites, blog posts, newsletters, emails, social feeds, at the end of our stories (more about this later), and publications — not as a marketing stunt, but as a genuine endorsement of something we believed in.
Fast forward to May 2025, and that entire income stream is being erased with a single email.
What Happened Out of the Blue?
There was no wrongdoing on our part, no breach of terms. It was just an executive decision: the referral program “was broken from the start,” they say. What was the problem?
It was a bug, a glitch, a wrong feature that ended up crediting writers like me for memberships we supposedly did not deserve. We were paid, but they now explain that they incorrectly assigned a value to our efforts due to a technical flaw.
Over the years, I have seen countless bugs on this platform, usually framed as setbacks, losses, or limitations.
But for some reason, this unusual bug is framed as a generous mistake in our favor, while simultaneously cutting off the entire stream of affiliate income we earned by intentionally bringing readers to the platform and keeping them engaged for years.
Like a bridge we built stone by stone, only to see it vanish overnight, this reversal left a hollow echo where mutual respect once stood.
A technology executive mentor said, “It is hard not to wonder why this 'expensive bug' escaped detection for so long while more minor issues were swiftly identified and resolved. Was it too inconvenient to correct earlier? Or did it serve a purpose until it no longer aligned with internal strategy?”
The timing and language of this decision raise questions — not just about technology, but about intention. And yet, the decision arrives dressed as simplification, leaving those of us who contributed in good faith to absorb the cost quietly.
Once more, this situation for authentic curators feels like a bridge we built stone by stone, only to see it vanish overnight. This reversal leaves a hollow echo where mutual respect once stood.
Lessons Learned from an Ethical Company
In contrast, I still receive affiliate income from a software company I partnered with over three decades ago, although they retired the product. I promoted their tools to fellow technology and science consultants and small businesses because I used them myself and trusted their support.
The affiliate agreement was clear, fair, and long-term — offering a 1% lifetime commission for every referred client. What stood out was not just the simplicity of the terms, but the consistency with which they were upheld.
The company never changed the rules retroactively. Their reporting dashboard remained transparent and accurate, giving affiliates real-time visibility into performance.
Even when introducing a new product version with an updated pricing model, they honored all previous agreements by grandfathering existing referrals. That kind of long-term consistency earns trust and sustains loyalty on both sides. It is no surprise that the company has received multiple global awards for business integrity and ethical leadership.
This story is not just about Medium. But one unresolved issue still weighs on me — and likely on thousands of others. It has quietly affected my own work, the efforts of my protégés, and the time and energy of our dedicated volunteer editors. I believe it is worth addressing, because it reflects something more profound than policy — how creators are treated when things go wrong.
When Links Die and Writers Get Blamed by Potential Readers with No Support and Compensation
In late 2023 or early 2024, Medium quietly made all affiliate links invalid. That meant thousands—possibly millions—of links embedded in stories across the platform suddenly led to nothing.
No redirect. No explanation. Just a dead end that left potential readers staring at an error message and questioning the writer’s credibility: “The link you added in your story goes nowhere.”
There was no compensation for the time lost, no built-in tool to help fix the damage, and no responsibility taken to clean up the mess. Writers were left to delete and update links manually, post by post, story by story.
What makes it harder to accept is that the solution would have been easy. A simple redirect script that even a basic generative AI tool could write could have preserved author trust and reader experience. Redirecting dead affiliate links to a writer’s profile page or a fallback landing page would have been the least a writer-centric platform could do.
Instead, that effort fell on writers and editors, again. Ironically, some well-meaning contributors still add Medium affiliate links today, unaware of the change. Our volunteer editors gently remove them and explain why, essentially doing Medium’s clean-up job without acknowledgment.
And so we ask: is this how a platform shows it values creators? By making them clean up its own legacy — quietly, manually, and without tools or support?
A Challenging Question from a Protege with an MBA degree
One of my protégés working in a multibillion-dollar company as a VP affected by this asked me earlier today, “Sir, if you were in Medium’s position — facing a critical oversight like this in your own startup — how would you handle it?”
My answer was simple, but rooted in the leadership principles I have practiced for decades. Here is what I said in summary:
Excellent question, my friend.
First, I would acknowledge the mistake openly and respectfully in a public bulletin, without minimizing its impact. I would issue a public apology, not as a gesture of weakness, but as an act of transparency and integrity.
Then, I would compensate the affected contributors — especially those who continued to support the platform in good faith — because trust, once broken, cannot be repaired with words alone.
To make that possible, I would reallocate internal resources, even if it meant temporarily reducing executive bonuses or high-level salaries.
In leadership, accountability is not just about facing the public but protecting the people who helped build your success. A founder or CEO who asks others to carry the burden without sharing it fails to understand the essence of ethical business.
When creators invest their time, credibility, and networks into your platform, they are not just users—they are stakeholders. Good leadership means putting stakeholders first when things go wrong, not last.
Of course, I also have empathy and compassion for the current leadership at Medium, who may be navigating the consequences of decisions made by those before them.
A Brief Background on My Affiliate Marketing Experience
My relationship with affiliate-style programs goes back to the early 1980s — long before the term “affiliate marketing” became mainstream. At the time, we called it revenue share: a straightforward arrangement based on relevance, trust, and shared outcomes.
After 2000, as the internet began reshaping how we connect and collaborate, I developed a university-level curriculum in an MBA school called “Digital Affiliate Marketing for Technology Leaders and Business Owners” to help business students navigate these emerging dynamics with ethical clarity.
In 2021, I condensed that course into a concise and simplified book for freelance writers seeking to earn with integrity in the digital space.
The book, as my first hybrid model publishing piece, sold thousands in many reputable bookstores and my personal stores like Patreon Shop or Kit Shop. I wrote a case story for it to guide book authors in 2021:
Here’s How I Sold 1,000+ Books in a Month with Minimal Investment First Time.
Practical and unique marketing techniques for creative freelancers, leading to profitable sales with concrete examples
I even shared the chapters on Medium in 2021, which only a few readers found, as books are not distributed on this platform, even if they are bestsellers like Substack Mastery.
Anyway, I am now updating this book, having gained fresh insights from brilliant, bestselling Substack authors who approach affiliate marketing both ethically and lucratively. I will release version two in a few weeks. Stay tuned if you are interested in the updated version with Substack flavour.
I also wrote a book chapter about affiliate marketing in my recent book titled A Powerful Toolkit for Advanced Substack Newsletter Mastery which is available in this publication for members.
I want to highlight the fragility of affiliate marketing when you build your monetization strategy on platforms you do not control.
For freelancers and startup founders, affiliate marketing can be an effective way to earn passive income and test product-market fit. But it comes with pitfalls that many overlook in the beginning.
At its best, affiliate marketing is transparent, reciprocal, and grounded in shared goals. The affiliate owner — whether a large platform or a small company — communicates clearly, tracks referrals accurately, and honors existing agreements.
Freelancers, on their side, recommend products they use and believe in, aligning with their audience’s values. Trust flows in both directions. But when done poorly, the cracks begin to show.
The affiliate owner may change terms without fair notice or revoke earnings retroactively. Their tracking may lack transparency, making it impossible to verify performance. They may frame program shutdowns as “bug fixes,” rather than owning the real impact on loyal partners.
Freelancers are not always blameless either. Some fall into the trap of promoting every affiliate link they can, without context or genuine usage. That undermines audience trust. Others rely too heavily on affiliate income, treating it as a permanent stream rather than a variable one tied to someone else’s business.
The difference between good and bad affiliate marketing comes down to mutual respect and long-term thinking. Good programs treat affiliates as partners. Bad ones treat them as temporary tools. Good writers see affiliate links as an extension of their integrity. Bad ones treat them as shortcuts to easy money.
There is a bigger lesson here. We must diversify our income streams. Relying on one program, product, or platform — no matter how reputable — is a business risk. A platform’s business goals will evolve, and when they do, creators can be left behind.
Instead of promoting platforms, creators should build their own.
Your newsletter. Your store. Your service. Your audience. Your analytics.
Use affiliate marketing — but with clear boundaries. Make it a bonus, not the base.
Back to my experience today for this cautionary case study.
In the grand scheme of things, losing this modest income is hardly consequential for me — it is equivalent to the price of a dinner in my country.
What stays with me, however, is not the financial loss but the quiet dissonance it creates with the values I have practiced throughout my professional life.
After spending nearly half a century working in ethical companies that consistently honored their commitments, this decision, however technical or procedural, left a subtle but undeniable mark.
For many of us, what stings is not the income lost, but the feeling that shared values were quietly dismissed. It challenges the principles of fairness, transparency, and mutual respect that writers, readers, and platform-builders alike rely on.
Whether we earn a little or a lot, what matters most is the recognition that our trust, time, and contribution were part of the equation.
That is what makes these experiences linger beyond the financial impact, and why so many feel unsettled when systems change without honoring the spirit of prior agreements.
Final Words for Medium, Freelance Writers, and Content Startups
First to Medium executives, I say this with no bitterness: I was proud to promote your platform when I was in love with it.
However, this move, framed as a technical correction, will likely be remembered as a turning point for many writers who once gave you their best.
As a side note, I fully understand if Medium chooses not to distribute this story, and I will carry no resentment if it quietly stays in the shadows. But the lessons here are too important to dismiss, and the issue too consequential to gloss over.
As an educator, I see it not as a complaint but as a case study that deserves to be shared with the next generation of creators, builders, and decision-makers. If we do not examine our blind spots, we risk repeating them. And if we avoid uncomfortable truths, we miss the chance to grow wiser.
To my fellow freelancers and startup founders:
Do not wait until a decision beyond your control pulls the rug out from under you. Learn from this story — not with frustration, but with foresight.
Build what you can control. Own your list. Own your voice. Own your future.
Another company I trusted poured my heart and soul for over 5 years, now embarrasses me globally, as shown in the following image, which can tell a thousand words:
My stories used to get millions of views on NewsBreak. As they were so impactful, I shared countless links on social media and my blog posts. Now they all show 404!
As pointed out in my previous story, this did not just happen to me. It happened to thousands of authentic writers, including the famous Jessica Wildfire and legendary Tim Dening, who used to write for NewsBreak once.
How embarrassing is this for authentic writers who once contributed to that platform? If this is not a wake-up call, I don’t know what else could be.
I share this not to stir conflict, but to offer perspective and invite thoughtful conversations about how we, as a community, move forward with integrity.
We did not sign up for perfection—we signed up for partnership.
When that partnership falters, it teaches us something important. These experiences have only deepened my commitment to helping writers build systems they can trust and control.
That is why I continue to write, teach, and revise what I once believed was stable—the digital world changes, but our values should not.
For those who want to understand the bigger shift behind my decisions after June 2024, I shared my firsthand experience of moving my focus from Medium to Substack in an earlier piece titled “Why My Wise Mentors Advised Me 80% Substack, 15% NewsBreak, 5% Medium for My Writing Effort.”
Now I removed NewsBreak from the equation as explained in a recent important piece for freelancers, and focus 95% on Substack for the reason mentioned in a story about freedom, sustainability, and what many of us have come to value in a platform.
Here’s Why Suddenly Everyone Is Coming to Substack
Substack Is Empowering Creators and Journalists to Build a Better Internet Based on My Research and Intense Experience…medium.com
Appendix: For Transparency and Context of My Story for Readers
To provide complete context and transparency, I have included the original email sent by Medium under the subject line “Notification: Ending referred membership payouts”, sent from Medium Writer Support (noreply@medium.com) to all participants in the referral program. Sharing this publicly available message helps clarify the platform’s stated reasoning and supports the reflections discussed in this story. As it was a bulk notification and identical for all recipients, no personal information has been redacted. While the message was not posted on Medium’s official blog, it functions as a public notice for writers participating in the Partner Program. I believe it adds valuable context for those affected.
If you have faced similar challenges—or different ones—I welcome your insights. We all benefit from open, respectful conversation.
I do not support platforms blindly—I support tools and systems that align with values like transparency, independence, and ethical creator support. I continue to publish on both Medium and Substack, and I deeply respect the thoughtful creators who contribute meaningfully on each.
If you are a writer, you may use other platforms like Substack because it gets saturated like YouTube because of its value. My Substack Mastery book can get you started. If you are a reader, you may check out what it can offer you. I wrote a short book titled Substack for Avid Readers, which can guide you.
As a publisher, in addition to my personal publications, I created a new public publication on Substack called ILLUMINATION Writing and Reading Academy. All authentic writers are welcome to join this journey. I wrote the initial submission guidelines to inform and educate writers:
ILLUMINATION Writing Academy: Submission Guidelines 2025: An introduction to our first public publication on Substack
We also published our first curated story written by
which can educate and inspire new writers:The First Curated Story of ILLUMINATION Writing Academy
“In August 2024, I Made a Decision that Changed Everything” by Yana G.Y.
Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
Importance of Health & Wellness in My Personal & Professional Life
Health and wellness are essential to me and my readers. Therefore, I focus on these topics by writing and curating insights from other writers, practitioners, and thought leaders.
One of my focuses is stress management. To guide my readers, I wrote a book titled Cortisol Clarity, reflecting my decades of experience.
Cortisol Clarity: Why I Wrote a Book About the Stress Hormone Published on 1 January 2025
In addition, the brain, cognitive performance, and mental health are my research and interest areas. Therefore, I recently authored a book titled Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life and shared some sample chapters on this platform. You can find links to ten chapters through this introductory story:
Early Access to “Train Your Brain for a Healthier and Happier Life”
Why I wrote this comprehensive book and how readers can benefit from it to improve their cognitive performance and…medium.com
Congratulations, ILLUMINATION Health and Wellness Network 🌟
I’m pleased that our Health and Wellness Network was announced as a bestselling publication on Substack in March 2025. I wrote a story about this on Medium to guide freelance writers. Thank you for being part of our joyful and exciting journey.
To celebrate this milestone, I am providing a 50% discount to free subscribers who want to support our work and help this community grow fast. This subscription also qualified you for the Tier 2 level of Substack Mastery Boost Pilot.
Thank you for being part of our joyful and exciting journey.
I interview healthcare professionals and book authors to create visibility for their content on multiple platforms. I also opened my website, creating a community blog for guest bloggers to help them create visibility for their articles, stories, newsletters, books, and resources for free. All authentic writers and book authors are welcome to apply. I also create landing pages for writers, as exemplified in this story.
I invite you to subscribe to my newsletter, where I offer experience-based content on health, content strategy, and technology topics to inform and inspire my readers.
Content Strategy, Development, & Marketing Insights
Dr Yildiz this story touched my heart deeply as I am into affiliate marketing for a while. My lost from Medium affiliate earnings was minimal but I promoted another company dearly. When I started earning they changed the rules after a year and asked me to pay double of previous entry fee for the second year. When I disagree not to pay they did not not pay me my previous earnings and closed my account. It was like a punch in the gut. I stopped promoting that platform but I still feel regret for my my efforts like you adding them in my blog posts and even creating YouTube videos. Thank you for writing this educational story so beautifully.
Very good case study, Dr Yildiz. I liked your independent and well-balanced analysis of the issue with valuable lessons for creators. I don't know much about affiliate marketing but my adult kids do it as side hustles.