Private Writing: Medium launches TK app to keep notes away from search engines

Medium has released a new application called TK, a private note-taking tool designed to help users write without their work immediately appearing in search engine results.

The app combines journaling, long-form writing, and a private social network. Medium CEO Tony Stubblebine calls this the company's most important release since 2017, when former CEO Ev Williams shifted the business from ads to subscriptions. Stubblebine states that this earlier move helped the company escape the attention economy, a trend that has accelerated since then.

Search engines are directing less traffic to traditional websites while AI systems consume available web content. Stubblebine acknowledges that Medium's heavy reliance on Google referrals is an existential risk. He proposes moving blogging underground to bypass public search indexes.

TK functions as a minimalist note-taking interface similar to Evernote. Users can integrate AI models to organize notes, search past entries, or receive draft feedback. Typing the letters TK summons the AI assistant, a shortcut chosen because those letters rarely appear together in standard text.

Once content is created, users can share it via links or email. Collaborators can comment and react, similar to Google Docs. The platform introduces Libraries, which Stubblebine terms private blogging. These are topic-centered groups where members contribute writing for the exclusive consumption of other group members.

Libraries range from small circles to groups of several hundred people. Early examples include communities sharing book projects, exchanging recipes, and posting poetry drafts. Stubblebine notes that while Medium has always required performative sharing, TK removes the pressure to be noticed by not measuring pageviews or rewarding authors based on traffic volume.

The app is currently free on the web, Android, and iOS, with a native desktop version in development. Stubblebine envisions new monetization models, such as packaging high-quality content from specific libraries for sale to humans or AI agents. He believes AI will need to be grounded in a layer of human intelligence, and keeping this content outside traditional search algorithms aims to create a more sustainable digital ecosystem.