Full-Time

iOS Engineer

Posted on 9/4/2025

Substack

Substack

1,001-5,000 employees

Digital publishing platform with subscription monetization

Compensation Overview

$175k - $215k/yr

San Francisco, CA, USA

In Person

This position is based at the San Francisco headquarters.

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
iOS/Swift
Requirements
  • At least 5 years of software engineering experience.
  • Experience shipping high quality iOS apps to the App Store.
  • Independent and autonomous. We’re too small to micromanage, and expect that every person at the company owns their work and can be a leader.
  • Hold yourself and others to a high standard when working on production systems.
  • Take pride in building elegant and delightful product experiences. Substack works best when it gets out of the way so creators can focus on writing and connecting with their readers.
  • Enjoy collaboration with a diverse group of thinkers while bringing our own unique experience and background to the team.
  • Believe in Substack’s mission to build a better business model for writing.
Responsibilities
  • Develop the core Substack iOS app in Swift for creators and their audiences.
  • Iterate on key user flows in the Substack iOS App, and run A/B tests on these flows.
  • Collaborate with designers, writers, support staff, and many others. From product concept and research to implementation and deployment, we expect you to own your work and deliver high-quality solutions.
  • Work directly with customers to solve their problems. The entire company (CEO included) participates in customer support in order to drive empathy for our users and help us build better products.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience at a fast-growing startup or working on a high-performing growth team is not required, but is a plus.

Substack is a digital publishing platform that lets writers and creators publish and distribute content through newsletters, blogs, podcasts, and videos, while enabling monetization through subscriptions. Creators can set their own monthly fees (roughly $5–$27); Substack handles billing, payments, and technical administration, so creators can focus on producing content. The platform also includes a built‑in marketing network that helps grow subscriber lists by leveraging Substack’s user base. Substack monetizes by taking a percentage of creators’ subscription revenue, aligning its success with that of its creators. Compared with competitors, Substack combines direct-to-reader monetization with comprehensive administrative and marketing support in one platform, reducing friction for creators. Its goal is to help writers and other creators earn sustainable income directly from their audience by providing the tools to manage and grow subscriptions.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Series C

Total Funding

$200.2M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2017

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Raised $100M Series C in 2025, valuing at $1.1 billion.
  • Recording Studio boosts video creator revenue 50% faster.
  • TV apps and audio livestreams expand to multimedia audiences.

What critics are saying

  • Beehiiv's flat-fee podcasting erodes Substack's creator loyalty.
  • Writer backlash defects top creators to writing platforms.
  • Apple's 30% IAP fees slash creator payouts immediately.

What makes Substack unique

  • Substack pioneered subscription newsletters with 10% revenue share model.
  • Built-in network drives 40% new free and 20% paid subscriptions.
  • Creators retain IP ownership and full editorial control.

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Benefits

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-3%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

-4%
Semafor
Mar 30th, 2026
Beehiiv enters podcasting space to challenge Substack's creator dominance

Beehiiv is launching podcast hosting and monetisation features as newsletter platforms compete for creator loyalty. The company aims to offer a unified service for publishing, audio, email and video, challenging independent podcasters' reliance on multiple platforms. Beehiiv is positioning itself against Substack by emphasising its flat-fee model over Substack's revenue-sharing approach. CEO Tyler Denk has criticised Substack's expansion into social networking and television as attempts to lock in creators, describing some moves as "dark". Substack has dismissed the competitive threat. Co-founder Hamish McKenzie said in February that he views Beehiiv as "fellow travelers" in empowering creators rather than competitors. The platform has largely ignored Beehiiv's criticism whilst expanding its own features. Both companies, alongside Patreon, are racing to build comprehensive creator platforms as the market consolidates.

TechCrunch
Mar 12th, 2026
Substack launches built-in recording studio for video creators

Substack has launched the Substack Recording Studio, a built-in tool for creators to pre-record and publish videos directly on the platform. Available only on desktop, the studio supports solo videos and conversations with up to two guests, offering custom watermarks, screen sharing and auto-generated clips and thumbnails. The company said creators using audio or video in the past 90 days grew revenue 50% faster than those who haven't. Substack has been expanding beyond newsletters into multimedia, having introduced video uploads in 2022, livestreaming monetisation last year, and a $20 million Creator Accelerator Fund. The platform recently launched TV apps for Apple TV and Google TV, featuring a TikTok-style "For You" recommendation row, capitalising on growing demand for long-form video content on television screens.

TechCrunch
Jan 22nd, 2026
Substack launches TV app amid writer backlash over video push

Substack has launched a beta TV app for Apple TV and Google TV, allowing subscribers to watch video posts and livestreams from creators on the platform. The app features a TikTok-like "For You" row highlighting recommended videos, with access based on subscription tiers. The move represents Substack's continued push into video, following the launch of video posts in 2022, monetisation capabilities in 2024, and a TikTok-like feed in March 2025. Future updates will include audio posts, enhanced search features and in-app subscription upgrades. However, the announcement has drawn criticism from users. Top comments on Substack's blog post urged the platform not to abandon its focus on writing, with one stating: "This is not YouTube. Elevate the written word.

The Post
Sep 19th, 2025
Substack Raises $100M, Aims to Transform Journalism

Nikki Macdonald's article discusses Hamish McKenzie, co-founder of Substack, a newsletter subscription platform that recently raised $100 million. McKenzie, a former Tesla writer, aims to transform journalism by allowing writers to connect directly with readers. Despite concerns over Substack's hands-off moderation, McKenzie believes it offers a better model than social media. The article also touches on McKenzie's past experiences, including his time at Tesla and a personal tragedy that shaped his outlook.

Quasa
Aug 28th, 2025
Substack's In-App Purchase Rollout: Convenience for iOS Users, but at a Cost to Creators

Substack, the popular newsletter platform that empowers independent writers and creators, has officially rolled out in-app purchases (IAP) for its iOS app, allowing users to subscribe to paid newsletters directly through Apple's payment system.

INACTIVE