Why did all these creators suddenly quit their multimillion dollar businesses?

Jenna Kutcher from The Goal Digger just walked away from 115 million podcast downloads, over 900 episodes and nearly a decade of work.

One of the biggest business podcasts in the country, and she decided she was done.

The internet lost its mind. Why would you quit the thing that made you famous?

Well, because Jenna saw a trend the rest of us in the content space have been quietly noticing. She just acted on it first.

What you’re reading is a preview of what social media will look like in 3 to 5 years.

And why I literally started straight up blocking anyone that slides into my DMs demanding supplier contacts.

So, Gwyneth…

But’s it’s true…

Instagram is fast food. Substack and podcasts are farm to table.

People think starting a podcast is easy, the same way they think starting a fashion brand is easy. Neither is remotely true.

It’s scheduling, production, lighting, hair, makeup, editing, and marketing across multiple channels. BTW, nobody just presses publish and gets 115 million downloads. That only happens through years of relentless marketing strategy.

So when a creator at the very top of their game steps back and walks away, pay attention. Something BIG is happening.

Remember 2020? When we all had time. We shared everything, learned from everyone - and people were happy to pay for good work because they valued it… I mean, we are tipping delivery drivers $100 for our groceries (sounds kind of crazy now).

Then around 2024, something shifted. AI entered the picture and brought with it a creeping entitlement - a sense that all information should just be free. So people stopped paying to learn.

But now, in 2026, the cracks in the system are showing.

• Google’s AI Overview suggested users eat rocks and add glue to pizza.

• Zillow’s AI algorithm overestimated home values so badly the company shut down its entire home-flipping business.

• An AI hiring system automatically rejected older applicants, leading to a federal discrimination case against iTutorGroup.

• NYC’s city AI chatbot gave businesses incorrect legal advice on labor laws, housing, and regulations.

The list goes on.

Smart people are going back to trusting humans. But the humans who used to give freely? They’re tired - and they’ve started dialing it in.

These past few years churning out free content just hasn’t been worth it - and Jenna proves it.

You’re scrolling for hours feeling like you’re learning, but by the end of your algorithmic black hole you haven’t made any real progress.

That’s by design. Social media isn’t built to help you. It’s built to keep you there.

TikTok and Instagram used to be where people actually taught you things. Now they’re just the hook - the curiosity bait - and the real knowledge lives somewhere else. Usually behind a paywall. Usually at the price of around $5 to $20 a month.

It’s not a lot, just enough so the people investing their time feel like their expertise is worth something.

(Your AI charges you $20 to $100 a month and often get’s it wrong in comparison)

I spend two to three hours a day creating genuinely good content. Not AI slop. Real, hard-learned expertise.

And I keep asking myself - could that time be better spent on people who actually value it?

Honestly, yes.

Just like Jenna I’m getting ready to walk away from the free-loaders.

The stuff on Instagram is cheap and easy to make. Like bread at a restaurant - it’s fine, but it’s not the meal. I’ll keep posting there because it’s fun.

I’ll even post a few free fluffy Substacks…

But the good stuff?

That’s going behind a paywall.

$5 a month. Sixteen cents a day.

The people who pay are the people I want to build the next chapter with - and that’s where my best energy is going.

If that’s you, please subscribe. I have a pipeline of things I’m dying to share, and I want to share them with the people who are in it with me.

And if you’re thinking “this is unfair, why should I pay?” - genuinely, no hard feelings. But if you don’t think all this hard work is worth $5 a month, again 16 freaking cents a day, I’m happy for you to go.

See you soon,

Melanie