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"Extremely Online" author Taylor Lorenz. Photo by Brian Treitler

Creator Economy

Mommy Bloggers, the Original Creators; a Threads Revival

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct. 3, 2023 2:44 PM PDT

How is Instagram going to resuscitate Threads? By focusing on Black creators and finding the sweet spot between hard news and pop culture. That’s what my colleague Sylvia reported in her article Monday about what's going on inside Instagram as it tries to breathe new life into the app, a rival to X (formerly known as Twitter). The jury’s still... How is Instagram going to resuscitate Threads? By focusing on Black creators and finding the...

VidCon's inaugural conference in Baltimore. Photo via VidCon

Creator Economy

What You Missed at VidCon Baltimore

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct. 2, 2023 2:31 PM PDT

First, some breaking news: ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, is planning to buy at least $300 million in stock from current and former employees, a buyback that implies a valuation around $223.5 billion. That’s about 26% lower than the buyback ByteDance announced a year ago. In an unusual move, TikTok is buying back shares at different prices,... First, some breaking news: ByteDance, the parent of TikTok, is planning to buy at least $300...

Tara Bernstein. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Creator Economy

Epic Blames Its Creator Margins; A Pickleball Influencer Inks Off-Court Deals

By Kalley Huang · Sept. 28, 2023 3:36 PM PDT

Epic Games, the publisher of the popular video game Fortnite, started to talk up its connections with creators a few years ago, most notably during its 2021 antitrust trial against Apple. At the time, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney argued that Apple’s App Store policies were squeezing the kind of small developers that make content for Fortnite. Epic’s... Epic Games, the publisher of the popular video game Fortnite, started to talk up its connections...

Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Connect 2023. Photo via YouTube/IGN.

Instagram Launches Chatbots Modeled on MrBeast, Charli D’Amelio

By Kalley Huang · Sept. 27, 2023 2:30 PM PDT

Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Connect 2023. Photo via YouTube/IGN.

Creator Economy

Instagram Launches Chatbots Modeled on MrBeast, Charli D’Amelio

By Kalley Huang · Sept. 27, 2023 2:30 PM PDT

It’s Kalley Huang, reporting from Menlo Park, Calif., where Meta Platforms’ developer conference is taking place in person for the first time since 2019. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, on a stage set up in the middle of Meta’s campus, unveiled a suite of generative artificial intelligence products, several directed at creators.The most interesting are 28... It’s Kalley Huang, reporting from Menlo Park, Calif., where Meta Platforms’ developer conference...

MasterClass CEO David Rogier. Photo via Getty.

Creator Economy

The Lessons From MasterClass

By Paris Martineau · Sept. 26, 2023 2:14 PM PDT · 1 comment

Paris here. Yesterday, we published a story about MasterClass’ post-pandemic woes. MasterClass, like many startups, spent wildly when times were good, then got caught flatfooted when its pandemic-era gains didn’t continue. Its evolution says something about the position many creator economy darlings now find themselves in. For a while, it... Paris here. Yesterday, we published a story about MasterClass’ post-pandemic woes. MasterClass,...

Photo via Midjourney

Creator Economy

Beehiiv’s Deal for an Ad Tech Startup Shows Strains on Founders

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 25, 2023 1:05 PM PDT · 2 comments

Let’s kick off this week with some creator economy M&A news. Beehiiv, a newsletter publishing startup, is acquiring Swapstack, an advertising marketplace for newsletters, Beehiiv’s CEO Tyler Denk confirmed to me. Beehiiv is acquiring the smaller firm’s tech and relationships with advertisers. Swapstack co-founder and CEO Jake... Let’s kick off this week with some creator economy M&A news. Beehiiv, a newsletter publishing...

YouTube's new generative AI feature, Dream Screen, creates photos and videos based on creators' prompts. Photo via YouTube

Creator Economy

YouTube Ushers in Fresh Wave of Creator AI Tools

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 21, 2023 2:42 PM PDT

Startups this year have been busy launching artificial intelligence tools, from chatbots to editing features, aimed at lightening creators’ workloads. Now YouTube is the first of the major social platforms to go hard on its own AI offerings for creators. At its Made on YouTube event in New York on Thursday, the Google-owned company made... Startups this year have been busy launching artificial intelligence tools, from chatbots to...

Comedian Cat Alvarado reported early issues with Meta Verified. Photo: Kim Newmoney

Meta Verified Works Out the Kinks in Public

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 20, 2023 3:05 PM PDT

Comedian Cat Alvarado reported early issues with Meta Verified. Photo: Kim Newmoney

Creator Economy

Meta Verified Works Out the Kinks in Public

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 20, 2023 3:05 PM PDT

As we detailed in a story on Tuesday, subscribers to new paid offering Meta Verified have complained about their frustrating experiences with human customer support, a key draw of the service. The Facebook and Instagram parent has fixed another early snag, which prevented creators from changing their photo or name once they paid for the $12 a... As we detailed in a story on Tuesday, subscribers to new paid offering Meta Verified have ...

Afterparty co-founders David Fields and Robert Graham. Photo: Afterparty

Creator Economy

Afterparty Launches AI-Generated Creator Clones With New Funding

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 19, 2023 3:10 PM PDT

Two years ago, VC hype for the creator economy started to merge with excitement for another hot sector: crypto. Companies that focused on creators and incorporated blockchain technologies garnered millions of dollars in new funding. While many of those companies are now flailing, some have still been able to raise capital, especially those... Two years ago, VC hype for the creator economy started to merge with excitement for another hot...

Meta's EMEA headquarters in Dublin. Photo by Bloomberg via Getty.

Creator Economy

What May Keep Threads From Europe Forever

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Sept. 18, 2023 3:12 PM PDT

Here’s a question: will European users ever get to join Threads?I’ve been wondering that as I’ve reported on the response by Meta Platforms to increasing European restrictions on the personal data tech companies can share with advertisers. As I wrote Friday, the parent of Facebook and Instagram has been showing some users in Europe—and young... Here’s a question: will European users ever get to join Threads?I’ve been wondering that as I’ve...

Former Twitter executive Kayvon Beykpour. Photo by Getty.

Creator Economy

The Executive Musk Almost Tapped to Run Twitter

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 14, 2023 2:59 PM PDT

On Elon Musk’s first day as the new owner of Twitter, later renamed to X, he secretly met with one possible candidate who could help him run the company: Kayvon Beykpour, according to a new biography of Musk by Walter Isaacson out this week. Beykpour co-founded livestreaming app Periscope. Twitter acquired his company in 2015, but... On Elon Musk’s first day as the new owner of Twitter, later renamed to X, he secretly met with...

Credit: Shutterstock

Pinterest Shopping Push Crowded by TikTok Efforts

By Alex Perry · Sept. 13, 2023 4:21 PM PDT

Credit: Shutterstock

Creator Economy

Pinterest Shopping Push Crowded by TikTok Efforts

By Alex Perry · Sept. 13, 2023 4:21 PM PDT

For the past year, Pinterest management has pushed to make the digital scrapbooking app a shopping destination, not just a place to browse ideas and share digital vision boards. On Wednesday, CEO Bill Ready trotted out stats to illustrate how Pinterest’s revitalized e-commerce bent was working. But unlike a year ago, its efforts will... For the past year, Pinterest management has pushed to make the digital scrapbooking app a...

Credit: James Sharp

Creator Economy

‘Cringe’ TikTok Videos Help a Singer Break Out

By Alex Perry · Sept. 12, 2023 3:23 PM PDT

Aspiring musical artists who wanted to get attention a decade ago could audition for shows like X Factor or America’s Got Talent. Then TikTok came along. Artists like the duo Flyana Boss and the rapper Ice Spice gained overnight fame as clips of their songs formed the backdrop of viral videos. Some of these TikTok-famous artists plan to attend... Aspiring musical artists who wanted to get attention a decade ago could audition for shows like X...

Art by Midjourney and Shane Burke.

Creator Economy

startups markets

YouTubers Cash in on Prop Trading’s Rise

By Natasha Mascarenhas · Sept. 11, 2023 3:32 PM PDT

I’ve spent the past two weeks digging into retail websites that call themselves prop or funded trading firms to report on a story about how HR startup Deel has quietly become the default payout provider for traders on these sites. I quickly discovered how much these websites, which proliferated after the meme stock trading craze of 2020-2021,... I’ve spent the past two weeks digging into retail websites that call themselves prop or funded...

Brands are turning college students into mini influencers. Photo: Her Campus Media

Creator Economy

How Brands Are Turning College Students into Influencers

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 7, 2023 2:37 PM PDT · 1 comment

A decade ago, companies tapped college students to hand out t-shirts, rep their gear (think: wearing a Red Bull backpack to class), and give out flyers on university campuses. Now, many of these college ambassador programs are turning college students into mini influencers. For beauty company Clinique, for example, students create and post... A decade ago, companies tapped college students to hand out t-shirts, rep their gear (think:...

Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison. Photo by Getty.

Clubhouse Is Now an Audio Messaging App

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 6, 2023 3:08 PM PDT · 1 comment

Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison. Photo by Getty.

Creator Economy

Clubhouse Is Now an Audio Messaging App

By Kaya Yurieff · Sept. 6, 2023 3:08 PM PDT · 1 comment

Clubhouse, after laying off half its staff in April to “reset” the company, on Wednesday revealed a long-awaited revamp. It’s updating the app to feature voice-only group chats with friends or friends of friends that happen asynchronously. The live, public audio groups that Clubhouse popularized during the pandemic shutdowns aren’t going... Clubhouse, after laying off half its staff in April to “reset” the company, on Wednesday revealed...

Credit: Midjourney

Creator Economy

The Artists Using Midjourney

By Alex Perry · Sept. 5, 2023 3:47 PM PDT

You may have heard about Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence company that specializes in creating images from text prompts and visual inputs. My colleague Kate Clark today published an in-depth profile of the startup, whose founder David Holz refuses to take venture capital and hosts the service on Discord, a chat application... You may have heard about Midjourney, a generative artificial intelligence company that...

Bryan Reisberg (left) and Cliff Brush with their famous dogs. Photos courtesy of subjects

Creator Economy

Two Social Media Famous Dog Dads Join Forces

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug. 31, 2023 2:04 PM PDT

More creators are joining forces to promote their work. The latest example: Bryan Reisberg and Cliff Brush, the owners of two social-media famous dogs, are collaborating on a deal to develop and promote a super-sized dog backpack. Reisberg two years ago launched Little Chonk, a line of dog backpacks, after he couldn’t find a suitable... More creators are joining forces to promote their work. The latest example: Bryan Reisberg and ...

Credit: Shutterstock

Creator Economy

Efforts to Protect Child Influencers Are Just Getting Started

By Alex Perry · Aug. 30, 2023 3:50 PM PDT

It looks like efforts to ensure young influencers get a share of earnings from their social media work could become more widespread. Earlier this month, the Illinois state legislature passed an amendment to a state law that mandates guardians of children under 16 who appear in monetized social media posts must set aside portions of the... It looks like efforts to ensure young influencers get a share of earnings from their social media...

Kat Callaghan. Photo courtesy of the subject.

TikTok’s ‘Jessie’ Voice Heads to Calm

By Alex Perry · Aug. 29, 2023 3:19 PM PDT

Kat Callaghan. Photo courtesy of the subject.

Creator Economy

TikTok’s ‘Jessie’ Voice Heads to Calm

By Alex Perry · Aug. 29, 2023 3:19 PM PDT

Canadian radio show host Kat Callaghan has become known to tens of millions of TikTok users as Jessie, one of the voices that narrate captions users write into the short-form video app. Now, after becoming something of a TikTok celebrity after revealing her identity in October, she’s bringing the Jessie voice to meditation app Calm. ... Canadian radio show host Kat Callaghan has become known to tens of millions of TikTok users as ...

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