If anything, it has been quietly powering more of the open web than most people realise.
RSS is the technology behind subscribing to blogs — and the foundation the entire podcast ecosystem is built on. It faded from mainstream attention after Google shut down Google Reader. Since then, people have assumed it died.
It didn't. Most of the web still runs on it.
- ~35 million websites expose an RSS or Atom feed
- WordPress alone powers ~43% of the web — and ships feeds by default
- Platforms like Substack, Ghost, Squarespace, Drupal, and Shopify all generate feeds out of the box
- The entire podcast ecosystem depends on RSS — millions of feeds, hundreds of millions of listeners
RSS didn't disappear. It just became invisible. While algorithmic feeds took over, RSS kept doing what it always did — quiet, reliable, open.
And it still offers something the modern web struggles with:
No algorithms. You see everything an author publishes. No ranking, no engagement games.
Portability. You can switch apps anytime. Your feeds move with you.
Zero-friction publishing. Most websites are already "on RSS" by default — no setup required.
The infrastructure for an open, subscription-based internet is still here. We just stopped looking at it.