The Outlier currently has no advertisers, no sponsors, and our aim is not to please an algorithm, but our readers.

Quote a lot of the publications we like are funded by advertising, which means they are ultimately accountable to advertisers, not readers. There is no problem in that, but is not what we strive for; The Outlier is funded entirely by readers who choose to support it, meaning the only obligation is to the work itself.

That independence is the whole point. It means writing about things because they are interesting, not because they are popular - altough the two things can intertwine.

Running The Outlier is not free. There is the hosting, the domain, adding new features, fixing bugs of the existing ones, the time spent writing and editing - as it's all done by a single person for now. Your support covers those costs and makes it possible to keep the site ad-free and growing.

With enough support, the goal is to pay guest contributors for their work. Right now publication is the currency - eventually it should be an actual currency.

The Outlier will always be free to read. By not supporting us, you won't be limited to read all of the old and new articles, but if you do, it'll help the existence of these articles. That said, supporters get a few things:

• Early access to new articles before they go public
• The Desk Letter - a monthly behind-the-scenes note on what is being written and what did not make it
• Occasional subscriber-only pieces that do not go on the main site
• A credit in the monthly supporter acknowledgements
• The satisfaction of keeping independent writing alive

The Outlier will always be free to read. Supporting it is entirely optional. Payments are processed securely via Stripe.