When Medium CEO Clapped for Something I Said

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Yes, the claps were from the CEO at Medium — no play of words here.
I’ve a screenshot, in case you’re curious… or doubtful.

It was 12:24 a.m. on August 12th, just past the midnight.

I was making tea, a plot for a short story brewing in my mind. I have this odd habit — when I make tea, I stay beside the pot the whole time it boils, waiting for that perfect blend: not too milky, not too dark.

So there I was, staring at my tea, when my phone pinged with a Medium app notification.

At first, I assumed it was a “Top story for you” alert — the one that insists on broadening my perspective by slipping in stories I’d never voluntarily click.

I let it sit until my tea was ready.

Hot cup in hand, I glanced at the notifications — and froze.

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“Tony Stubblebine clapped…”

Wait. The Tony Stubblebine?

In the next 2.5 seconds, it hit me.
The CEO of Medium had clapped… for something I wrote!

How would you feel if Elon Musk liked one of your tweets?
Or if Sundar Pichai replied to your Gmail?

Yep — it was that feeling.

I tapped the notification, expecting it to be for one of my stories.
But no — it was for a comment I had left.

Turns out, there was a lesson tucked away in that.

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It wasn’t my story that caught the CEO’s attention.
It was my take on a new Medium feature — a comment I’d left on a story from another author.

And that’s where the lesson was:

Our comments matter just as much as our stories.

Leaders like him see thousands of posts every week, their engagement is conscious. Those claps told me thoughtful comments get noticed — even from the very top.

The reward for writing isn’t going viral. It’s knowing your words found their way to the right person.

So, next time you read a story that resonates with you, take a moment to leave a thoughtful comment.

It tells the author: your words connected with me.
It gives other readers a reason to see you.

And, who knows?
Perhaps the right pair of eyes — the ones it was meant for — will see it.