By Mike O'Neill, Founder of Sophi, Daniela Lomas, Marketing Specialist, and Katherine Ruane, Director of Strategic Marketing at Mather
April 29, 2025
Ten years ago, a newsroom challenge sparked a new idea. What started as an internal solution at The Globe and Mail has grown into Sophi, an AI-powered decision intelligence platform that helps publishers optimize paywall decisions, enhance content strategies, and grow revenue.
In this Q&A blog, Sophi’s founder, Mike O’Neill, reflects on its origins, evolution, and why its mission matters now more than ever.
Q: What sparked the creation of Sophi?
Sophi started in the newsroom at The Globe and Mail, where the editorial team was grappling with an overwhelming amount of data. Even with so many analytics tools in place, there wasn’t a clear system for prioritizing stories, optimizing placement, or deciding what should go behind the paywall. Editors were spending a lot of time trying to make these calls manually, which pulled focus away from their core mission.
At the time, I was leading Data Science and Digital Analytics at The Globe, and it was clear we needed more than another dashboard. I had the opportunity to work with some very talented journalists and editors, and was quickly humbled by the depth behind their questions. We needed something that could actually help shape decisions and automate them where possible. That idea became Sophi — an early form of decision intelligence: AI-driven tools that support and automate choices about what content to promote, how to monetize it, and when to engage readers.
With strong support from our editor-in-chief, David Walmsley, who was instrumental in helping us overcome very common culture change hurdles, we built a tool grounded in both editorial needs and business outcomes. We ultimately found analytical solutions to the complex publisher realities that the newsroom took the time to help us understand.
Q: What made it catch on beyond The Globe and Mail?
As word spread about the impact Sophi was having at The Globe, other publishers began reaching out. We quickly realized the challenges we faced weren’t unique. Newsrooms everywhere were trying to make faster, more consistent decisions in increasingly complex environments. That insight led us to develop a commercial version of Sophi, one that could adapt to the needs of different publishers while staying true to its original mission.
Q: Has that mission changed over time?
Not really. The core mission has always been to empower better decision-making. What’s evolved is the scope and the capabilities of our solutions. With more pressure than ever to do more with less, we’re helping publishers use their data more effectively to balance and grow revenue, deliver strong user experiences, and stay true to their editorial values.
Q: How has joining Mather shaped Sophi’s evolution?
When Sophi became part of Mather in 2023, it was a natural next step. Mather brought deep consulting expertise and global publisher relationships, two things we knew could help us grow and deliver more impact.
Before that, we had a great tool, but we didn’t always have the guidance publishers needed to get the most out of it. Now, with Mather’s strategic support, we’re able to bring technology and consulting together in a much more powerful way.
Q: Looking ahead, what excites you most about Sophi’s next chapter?
What excites me most is the opportunity to keep building alongside publishers. In working closely with journalists and editors who asked incredibly smart questions, we built some very powerful tools. Since working with Sophi, many partners have leveled up and are now challenging us with even bigger questions. That ongoing feedback helps us refine the product, address pain points, and uncover new ways to drive results. We’re not just enhancing technology; we’re helping shape a smarter, more sustainable future for journalism. Sophi has always been about supporting the mission of the newsroom, and that hasn’t changed.
On the product side, I’m especially excited about two recent developments. We’re expanding Sophi’s decision-making capabilities to include custom publisher signals, offering even greater paywall intelligence and flexibility. And we’ve launched a fully trackerless, on-device version of our User Paywall Engine, enabling faster onboarding and a quicker path to revenue.
Q: Any final thoughts as Sophi turns 10?
Just a thank you - to the 300+ news brands who trust us, challenge us, and have helped shape what Sophi is today. We wouldn’t be here without them.
