To Reduce AI Costs, Google Wants to Ditch Broadcom as Its TPU Server Chip SupplierRead more

Trends Fueling the Creator Middle Class

During The Information’s Creator Economy Summit on October 28th, we hosted a masterclass session on “Fueling the Creator Middle Class,” in partnership with Accenture.

The Creator Economy, much like the global economy, has a concentrated minority at the top and very few creators have financial security.

In this masterclass, we brought together Aya Kanai, Head of Content & Creator Partnerships, Pinterest, Shiquita Hyman, Creator, The Unconventional Southern Belle and Laura McCracken, Managing Director, Global eCommerce & Payments, Accenture to talk about how the creator ecosystem can support the next-generation of creators.

Content ownership is a critical question for creators, according to Hyman. There is also a shifting mindset when it comes to monetization. Hyman is moving away from immediate transactional payments with brands, and is now requesting stock or stakes in the companies she partners with.

In order to maintain ownership, McCracken references “The Power of 1,000.” If creators have at least 1,000 fans engaged on any given platform, who are willing to spend $10 per week, creators can make a living. While at the same time providing the authentic connection with the community that brands are clamoring for.

Shoppable media and ecommerce is an increasing component of the creator and platform relationship. Pinterest saw a “350% increase in catalog uploads from brands," according to Kanai. Pinterest also tracks impulse buying vs intentional buying, saying that shoppers spend 50% more when they take a week to make a decision. Creators like Hyman find the shoppable features to be a nice revenue boost while also helping brands and platforms.

Many of these trends have already played out in China. According to McCracken, 30% of social media users in China are creators compared to 1% in the United States.

Ultimately, there is a sense that the creator ecosystem is in a period of rapid evolution from the early days of free content. Between platforms and creators the sentiment seems to be that “the pie is just getting bigger and bigger,” said McCracken.


Access on the go
View stories on our mobile app and tune into our weekly podcast.
Join live video Q&A’s
Deep-dive into topics like startups and autonomous vehicles with our top reporters and other executives.
Enjoy a clutter-free experience
Read without any banner ads.
OpenAI's Greg Brockman (left) and Google's Demis Hassabis (right). Photos by Getty.
AI Agenda google ai
OpenAI Hustles to Beat Google to Launch ‘Multimodal’ LLM
As fall approaches, Google and OpenAI are locked in a good ol’ fashioned software race, aiming to launch the next generation of large-language models: multimodal.
Photo by Getty
Exclusive google ai
Google Nears Release of Gemini AI to Challenge OpenAI
Google has given a small group of companies access to an early version of its highly anticipated conversational artificial intelligence software, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter.
Flexport founder, Ryan Petersen. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.
Exclusive e-commerce
Flexport’s Revenue Dropped 70% in First Half of 2023
Flexport’s revenue fell nearly 70% in the first half of the year to $700 million and the company burned through cash, people familiar with the company’s financials said.
From left, a Google TPU, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan and Google Cloud chief Thomas Kurian. Photos via Getty, Google and YouTube.
Exclusive google semiconductors
To Reduce AI Costs, Google Wants to Ditch Broadcom as Its TPU Server Chip Supplier
Google executives have extensively discussed dropping Broadcom as a supplier of artificial intelligence chips as early as 2027, according to a person with direct knowledge of the effort.
Org Charts enterprise Finance
The People in Power at Tech Private Equity Juggernaut Thoma Bravo
Orlando Bravo may be the face of Thoma Bravo, but he’s not the only one calling the shots. The hard-charging, helicopter-riding managing partner has become the most recognizable person at the software-focused private equity firm.
Gigafund co-founders Luke Nosek and Stephen Oskoui. Art by Clark Miller; Oskoui photo courtesy Gigafund.
The Big Read space entertainment
The Elon Musk Investors With Dreams of a New Social Order
In February 2021, a Mormon film producer named Jeffrey Harmon returned home to Provo, Utah, raving about an exclusive gathering he’d just attended in Austin, Tex.