I wasn't able to see the Substack design until I hacked away at the obtrusive signup wall.

Here's a side-by-side comparison for anyone that doesn't want to go through the same process:

https://i.imgur.com/On0RZG8.png

Strikingly similar, but so are most websites anyway.

If you sign in to twitter the sidebar becomes almost identical

Seems just like one of the many cookie-cutter Twitter clones out there. I don't think people would even be talking about Substack Notes had it not been for Musk's tantrum.

Competitors are refining their Musk Tantrum Inducer algorithms to better market their products.

I'm not saying Twitter front end is that hard to clone, but I wonder how many ex-twitter employees are at Substack now working on Notes.

Is there any way to access Substack Notes without an account?

This is just what 95% of websites look like these days, they both could be demo pages from the react or angular doc's.

The fact that Musk is known to be thin-skinned and prone to internet outbursts explains why he threw such a tantrum.