Mignano: Media continues shifting toward self-publishing and creator control
Mike Mignano · Why Now is the Time for the App Layer | Why Startups Should be TokenMaxxing | Mike Mignano, USV · 20VC with Harry Stebbings · Jul 6, 2026 · at 59:40
Mike Mignano is a General Partner at Union Square Ventures and co-founder of Anchor.
0:00 / 0:18exact quote · 18.3s
▶ Watch the full episode on YouTube → 720p mp4 · rendered on demand · StarZero watermark
“I think, you know, over the past, Eight years, and I think the trend is continuing. I think we're moving more and more and more towards a world of self-publishing and people controlling their own destiny in terms of media and what they create and what they publish and how they monetize it.”
quote is from the automated transcript, cleaned for reading: filler sounds and stutters are removed, nothing is rephrased. names can be misheard (the analysis reads context, assessments check outside sources). how →
More from Mike Mignano
Mignano: Web3 platform take-rate focus solves the wrong creator economy problem
“The other thing I'll say is, and I think to your point, you know, there's a lot of talk about how web three, Will enable creators to increase their take rate because the platforms are, you know, the platforms are taking too much. I will be honest. I think this…”
Mignano: Fred Wilson's key VC lesson is to never pass on price
“I asked him, what are a couple of the biggest lessons? And one of them was, never pass on price. So Fred says, never pass on price.”
Mignano: Defining startups create massive markets rather than fitting pre-existing TAM
“The reality is all of the biggest markets were never as big as they were until the defining companies made them that way.”
Mignano: Facebook's pivot to recommendation media creates room for new social giants
“And I think as a result, there's going to be sort of this vacuum of social experiences, true social experiences. And so I think if ever there was a time for a new startup to emerge, to create a great new groundbreaking social network or social experience, now …”
Mignano: Clubhouse failed due to a flawed format, not community neglect
“I see a lot of criticism on, of Clubhouse online that I don't fundamentally agree with, which is, oh, they didn't focus, focus enough on the community. They didn't nurture the community enough. I actually don't think that's the case. I think the format was fla…”
Mignano: Social graphs are commoditized and inefficient for content distribution
“The social graph, as I said, is completely commoditized. Now, every social product that comes out can instantly have a social graph just by ingesting your contacts list, right? So you and I meet on the street somewhere. You say, Hey, Mike, what's your phone nu…”