Works in Progress magazine
Ranked 13 of 15 online magazines by recommenders
People recommend it as one of the best online magazines, with long-form articles on topics like Swiss watchmaking, Japanese railways and science policy. One critic says it argues against its own points on railway profitability and is owned by Stripe, which they suspect has an agenda.
People recommend it as one of the best online magazines, with long-form articles on topics like Swiss watchmaking, Japanese railways and science policy. One critic says it argues against its own points on railway profitability and is owned by Stripe, which they suspect has an agenda.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 6 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 6 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Long-form articles praised as excellent
“a wonderful article on how the swiss watchmaking industry won the "brand age"”
Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “The Brand Age” “Works in progress also had a great article recently”
Comment from 18 Apr 2026 in “Why Japan has such good railways” “one of the best online magazines”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Why the Bronze Age Collapsed” Recommended as a must-read
“WIP is the best, and you should read / listen to it”
Comment from 4 Sep 2026 in “The Biggest Obstacle to New Cancer Cures” “one of the best online magazines”
Comment from 1 Oct 2026 in “Why the Bronze Age Collapsed”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Owned by Stripe, possible agenda
“owned by Stripe, who seem to have an agenda they're trying to push”
Comment from 1 Jul 2026 in “How p-hacking built the world's most expensive safety regime”
Other online magazines people recommend
The four most recommended other online magazines, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Economist | 87 | 75 | 54% | 12 | 10 yrs11 owners | — |
| New York Times subscription | 68 | 190 | 26% | 12 | 10 yrs8 owners | — |
| LWN.net subscription | 53 | 14 | 79% | 11 | 22 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| Quanta Magazine | 36 | 20 | 64% | 11 | — | — |
| Works in Progress magazineThis page | 7 | 2 | 78% | 6 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 9 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“one of the best online magazines”
“I'm really happy that this movement has spawned/impacted GiveWell, the Long Now, Scott Alexander, Works in Progress”
“WIP is the best, and you should read / listen to it”
“owned by Stripe, who seem to have an agenda they're trying to push”
“Works in progress also had a great article recently”
“very confusingly argues that railways should be profitable, including on per-passenger basis”
“a wonderful article on how the swiss watchmaking industry won the "brand age"”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.