The founding writer program.

The platform fee is waived.

Standard accounts keep 90% of Net Subscription Revenue and Empirq keeps 10%. On a founding account Empirq’s share is 0%, for as long as the account stays in good standing.

“Net” has a meaning.

Net Subscription Revenue is the money actually received, less Stripe’s processing fees, refunds, chargebacks, reserves, taxes and similar deductions. Those apply to every writer, founding or not. The full definition is in §4.2 of the Writer Agreement.

A founding writer badge.

It sits beside your name in the byline of every post.

A direct line to the founder.

Email [email protected] with feedback while the product is young enough to be shaped by it.

Your work stays yours.

You keep the rights to what you write, publishing here is non-exclusive, and you can remove or export your writing at any time (Writer Agreement §3).

Empirq is for working AI/ML practitioners. We’re looking for experienced developers and engineers who build and ship models and systems, researchers, people working in MLOps and infrastructure, and technical educators. What matters is real experience and something specific to say about it. Links to past writing help, but they’re optional.

1. 1

   Apply.

   Tell us about your background, pick one to five subfields, and describe what you’d publish in your first two weeks. Up to three links to past writing are optional.
2. 2

   We review it.

   We read every application ourselves and reply within 5 business days.
3. 3

   You get an invite code.

   If you’re accepted, we email a single-use code tied to your address. The button in that email opens sign-up with the code already filled in.
4. 4

   Set up your publication.

   Pick a slug (e.g. empirq.com/your-name), upload an avatar, write a short bio. Choose subscription tiers and pricing — or stay free-only. Takes about 10 minutes.
5. 5

   Connect Stripe.

   One-click Stripe Connect Express onboarding. You'll need ID verification and a bank account. Most writers complete this in under 15 minutes.
6. 6

   Write and publish.

   Open the editor, write your post, hit publish. It goes live, gets indexed under your chosen subfields, and emails to your subscribers automatically.
7. 7

   Enable subscriptions when you're ready.

   Turn on paid subscriptions when it suits you — set your price, choose which posts are free or subscriber-only, and get paid when readers support your work. Payouts reach your bank on Stripe's standard schedule (~2 business days for US accounts), and you can track subscriber growth and post performance in your dashboard.

• We designate founding accounts. The decision is ours, and the program has 10 places.
• The waiver lasts while your account is in good standing. A general change to the standard revenue split won’t reduce it, except in cases of fraud, a material breach of the Writer Agreement or the Terms of Service, loss of account good standing, legal or tax compliance requirements, or a written agreement between you and Empirq expressly modifying your Founding Writer terms.
• Everyone pays the same deductions. The waiver covers Empirq’s platform fee only. Stripe fees, refunds, chargebacks, reserves and taxes come out as they do for every writer.
• When the places are gone, applications join a waitlist, and writers who come in afterwards are on standard terms and keep 90% of Net Subscription Revenue.

When we may suspend or terminate an account. §10.2 of the Writer Agreement says we may suspend or terminate an account for cause, which includes violations of the Writer Agreement, the Terms of Service or applicable law, fraud, payment abuse, security concerns, or conduct that may expose Empirq, subscribers or other users to harm or liability. Where the problem can be fixed and circumstances allow, we’ll tell you and give you a reasonable chance to fix it before we terminate your account. Where it’s reasonably necessary for legal compliance, fraud prevention, security, chargeback risk, protecting users, or enforcing platform policies, we may suspend or terminate monetization features or your account immediately.

Read §4.2 of the Writer Agreement.

Publish only work you have the right to publish, and attribute third-party code, data and research. Disclose AI-generated content where AI produced a substantial part of the work. Keep technical content accurate to the best of your ability, and don’t plagiarise or fabricate. If you offer paid subscriptions, make a good-faith effort to publish on a reasonably consistent basis and to deliver what you promise your subscribers. We don’t set a publishing frequency. The full list is in §5 of the Writer Agreement.

• Do I have to publish only on Empirq?+
  No. It’s non-exclusive, so you can publish the same work elsewhere. For work that appeared elsewhere first, the editor has an “Originally published at” field.
• What does it cost to apply?+
  Nothing.
• How long until I hear back?+
  Within 5 business days.
• What if the founding places are already taken?+
  You can still apply and join the waitlist. We’ll reach out if a place opens or if we expand the program, and writers who join afterwards are on standard terms.