When Alternatives Become Institutions: What Patreon’s Layoffs Reveal About How Platforms Reproduce Corporate Logic
Patreon announced layoffs affecting roughly 20% of its workforce this week, framed as restructuring for operational efficiency. The creator-focused platform that was built as an alternative to traditional media gatekeeping is now making the same institutional choice traditional gatekeepers have always made: cut operational costs to improve profitability metrics. The timing matters. Patreon was founded…