When I wrote about this issue some time ago, with a similar title saying essentially the same thing, I got a lot less pushback but what I did get was from some of the same people responding to you here.

What some fail to miss is that every time they tip a writer on a platform like this, they are enabling the powers that be behind the platform making millions to pay writers less or not at all.

I don’t know how many subscribers to Medium are readers only but I do know 100% of Vocal subscribers are writers. What a slick business model: get the writers to pay each other and the platform owner doesn’t have to pay them better. It’s a shell game and writers who play along are suckers.

This donation idea is how big corporations enrich themselves at the expense of writers. I don’t put myself in the unskilled labor class and I refuse to support a system that winds up exploiting writers, so no tips for or from me. I do promote memberships, though, because more members means more money for all writers on the platform.