One Useful Thing
Investor Due Diligence Report
by Ethan Mollick
substackAI
Trying to understand the implications of AI for work, education, and life. By Prof. Ethan Mollick.
Investor Due Diligence Report
by Ethan Mollick
Trying to understand the implications of AI for work, education, and life. By Prof. Ethan Mollick.
471K
28K paid
+0.3%
+2.2%
net growth
Pricing
$10/mo
$100/yr annual option
$223K
28K paid subs
$223K/mo – $223K/mo(±0%)
119.8
1.3K
0.30%
(comments + likes) / subscribers
Monthly
0.4 posts/week
81/100
Very Consistent (~19.7d avg)
| Newsletter | Subscribers | Weekly Growth | Price | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Report | 58.5K | +0.9% | $12/mo | substack |
| MarTech AI | 48K | N/A | $15/mo | substack |
| Market Sentiment | 44K | N/A | $97/mo | substack |
| AI Safety Newsletter | 44K | N/A | Free | substack |
| Month | Subscribers | Est. Revenue | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | 401.5K | $189,917.55 | — |
| Mar 2026 | 418.5K | $197,962.95 | +4.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 425K | $201,039.6 | ~0% |
| May 2026 | 434K | $205,292.85 | +2.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 446K | $210,969.15 | +2.8% |
| Jul 2026 | 457K |
Platform Dependency
Operates on custom domain (www.oneusefulthing.org)
Publishing Consistency
Regular publishing schedule
Key Person
Single-author publication — key-person dependency
Revenue Model
Active paid subscription tier
Subscriber threshold
471K subscribers — above the 3K category median for first paid tier
Has paid tier
Active paid subscription offering
Peer monetization
100% of 4 similar-size peers in AI have paid tiers
Pricing position
$10/mo vs $7.5/mo category median (621 newsletters)
| Date | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2026 | $10 | $100 |
Disclaimer: This report is generated automatically based on publicly available data and proprietary estimation models. Estimated subscriber counts are derived from engagement patterns and should be verified through direct disclosure. Revenue estimates are based on known pricing and estimated paid subscriber counts. This report is for informational purposes only and should not be the sole basis for investment decisions.
| Component | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement Rate | 100/100 | 30% |
| Paid Subscriber Ratio | 100/100 | 25% |
| Growth Consistency | 89/100 | 15% |
| Publishing Consistency | 51/100 | 10% |
| 43K |
| N/A |
| $79/mo |
| substack |
| $216,176.4 |
| +2.5% |
| Aug 2026 | 469K | $221,852.7 | +2.6% |