The newsletters operators actually read
Eight newsletters written for the people who run companies and teams, in the order of the subscribers each one's own page shows.
How this list was made
The rule: subscribers, most first
To be on this list, a newsletter's own home page says it is written for founders, executives, or leaders and managers of a team, or for people working to become one. Its home page also prints a subscriber or reader figure. We read every page on October 23, 2026.
The order is that figure, largest first. On a Substack newsletter, the figure is the subscriber count Substack shows under its name; on any other page that prints two different figures, we use the lower one. Each figure is the publisher's own count; no outside audit stands behind it.
Lenny's Newsletter
Product, growth and career advice, researched in depth, from a Substack newsletter; its about page adds the podcast that runs beside it.
The Pragmatic Engineer
Gergely Orosz writes about Big Tech and startups from the inside, for people who build software and the people who lead them.
Engineering Leadership
A weekly letter from Gregor Ojstersek on becoming a great engineering leader.
Refactoring
Luca Rossi sends practical ideas on engineering leadership, technical strategy and high-performing teams, free each week. Its page also says "Join 170,000+"; on a Substack page the rule takes Substack's count.
Growth Unhinged
Kyle Poyar covers B2B go-to-market, SaaS pricing and product-led growth. Its page prints 90,000+ and 85,000+; the rule takes the lower. The page's own description names operators and founders as its readers.
Trends
Free five-minute reports on new markets and ideas, written for founders.
CFO Secrets
Insights from a chief financial officer who writes as The Secret CFO, in a five-minute read. Its page prints 56,000+ and 50,000+; the rule takes the lower.
Leadership in Tech
A free curated letter, one email every Monday and Thursday.
Questions about this list
- Why are the biggest daily newsletters not here?
- Several dailies print larger figures: The Hustle says 2M+, The Rundown AI says 2,000,000+ and Superhuman AI prints both 2 million+ and 1 million+. Their pages name innovators, readers or professionals as their audience, not the people who run a company or a team, so they fall outside the rule.
- Why are The Product Compass and Mostly Metrics not here?
- The Product Compass prints over 141,000 subscribers, but its page names its subject, AI and product management, rather than the people it is written for. Mostly Metrics is written for current and aspiring CFOs but prints no subscriber figure on its page.
- Are the subscriber figures audited?
- No. Each figure is the one the publisher prints on its own page, and the list says so. On a Substack page the list takes Substack's count; elsewhere, where a page prints two figures, the list takes the lower one.
- Can a newsletter pay to be added?
- No. Entries come from the rule and the public record, never from a request or a payment.
See a mistake? Write to the editors at editors@mysweetmags.com and the list is corrected with the date of the change.
