The Information

Substack CEO Chris Best, The Information's Kaya Yurieff, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, Invisible Universe's Tricia Biggio.

Creator Economy Summit

Tough Year for Advertising, AI Opportunity: Future of Influence Highlights

By Ann Gehan, Kalley Huang and Sahil Patel · Jun 4, 2025 11:41am PDT

Economic uncertainty related to the Trump administration’s tariff programs has made advertisers more cautious about spending this year. But that caution could be an opportunity for influencers, who can often charge less and move faster than traditional ad agencies, said speakers at The Information’s Future of Influence conference on Tuesday. “I... Economic uncertainty related to the Trump administration’s tariff programs has made advertisers...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Erin Beach

Creator Economy Summit

Snap’s Spiegel: Company Is on ‘Cusp’ of Computing Transformation

By Kalley Huang · Jun 3, 2025 8:13pm PDT · 2 comments

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel defended his company’s ability to stay independent despite competition from deep-pocketed rivals like Meta Platforms, predicting that the Snapchat parent was on “the cusp of a real transformation in the way that people think about and use computers.” That transformation, Spiegel said, will involve his company’s augmented... Snap CEO Evan Spiegel defended his company’s ability to stay independent despite competition from...

Chris Best. Photo by Erin Beach.

Creator Economy Summit

Apple’s App Store Changes ‘Have Been Fantastic,’ Says Substack CEO

By Sahil Patel · Jun 3, 2025 4:27pm PDT

Apple’s court-ordered relaxation of controls on its App Store has been “a big win for independent media,” according to Substack’s co-founder and CEO Chris Best. But that’s one of the few positives in the media landscape, where Google’s use of AI-powered search results is hurting publishers’ traffic while advertisers are increasingly shifting... Apple’s court-ordered relaxation of controls on its App Store has been “a big win for independent...

Michelle Khare, Adam Rose and Diplo. Photos by Getty

Diplo, YouTubers: Going Direct to Fans on Social Media Has Shifted Control

By Laura Mandaro · Apr 3, 2024 9:40am PDT

Michelle Khare, Adam Rose and Diplo. Photos by Getty

Creator Economy Summit

Diplo, YouTubers: Going Direct to Fans on Social Media Has Shifted Control

By Laura Mandaro · Apr 3, 2024 9:40am PDT

Online influencers drawing consumer attention and ad dollars from traditional media have made one thing very clear: They only want to ink deals with Hollywood on their own terms. “We’ve been really fortunate to have cool conversations with various studios and production companies—but honestly, at this time, no one has really... Online influencers drawing consumer attention and ad dollars from traditional media have made one...

Photo by Erin Beach

Creator Economy Summit

Outdoor Voices’ Ty Haney: New Creator Startup Takes From ‘Good and Bad’ of Her Experience

By Sahil Patel · Apr 2, 2024 2:03pm PDT

Ty Haney left Outdoor Voices, the athleisure startup she co-founded, after a widely publicized dispute four years ago with the company’s board. Now she’s taking a new shot at one of the ideas that caused the rift: building loyal communities of users. “Having built a brand whose life was cut short for various reasons, I saw a... Ty Haney left Outdoor Voices, the athleisure startup she co-founded, after a widely publicized...

TikTok's Marni Levine. Photo by Erin Beach.

Creator Economy Summit

TikTok Shop Chief: No Plans to Dial Back Shop Content

By Erin Woo · Apr 2, 2024 11:47am PDT · 1 comment

TikTok isn’t swayed by users complaining they’re seeing too much on their feeds from creators hawking products. “I’m not considering” dialing back the amount of e-commerce content on TikTok’s For You page, said Marni Levine, head of TikTok Shop’s U.S. operations for small and medium businesses, in... TikTok isn’t swayed by users complaining they’re seeing too much on their feeds from...

Kaya Yurieff of The Information and YouTube creator Hank Green. Photo: Erin Beach for The Information.

Creator Economy Summit

TikTok, Generative AI and Startup Failure: Creator Summit Takeaways

By The Information Staff · Apr 22, 2023 8:00am PDT

It’s hard to overstate how much TikTok is still driving much of the conversation around the creator economy. From questions about whether the ByteDance-owned video app can make a success of live shopping, to how much YouTube and Instagram would benefit from a U.S. government ban of TikTok, the app was a recurring topic at The... It’s hard to overstate how much TikTok is still driving much of the conversation around the...

Photo by Erin Beach.

TikTok U.S. Shopping Chief: Open to Big Retail Partnerships to Fill Shopping Aims

By Erin Woo and Ann Gehan · Apr 20, 2023 1:54pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo by Erin Beach.

Creator Economy Summit

TikTok U.S. Shopping Chief: Open to Big Retail Partnerships to Fill Shopping Aims

By Erin Woo and Ann Gehan · Apr 20, 2023 1:54pm PDT · 2 comments

TikTok has ambitions to transform its app into a U.S. shopping destination and is open to working with big retail partners including Walmart to make that happen, according to TikTok’s head shopping executive in the U.S. “If anyone from Walmart is here, come talk to me,” Sandie Hawkins, TikTok’s general manager of U.S.... TikTok has ambitions to transform its app into a U.S. shopping destination and is open to working...

From left, Heidi and Marc D’Amelio at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit in Los Angeles. Photo by Erin Beach

Creator Economy Summit

Father of TikTok Superstar Charli D’Amelio: U.S. Should Back Off App Threats

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Apr 20, 2023 12:26pm PDT · 4 comments

The father of one of TikTok’s biggest stars said the U.S. government should “butt out” of the operations of the app, which is facing a potential ban. Marc D’Amelio and his wife, Heidi, rose to fame as the parents of viral TikTok stars Charli and Dixie D’Amelio, who collectively have more than 200 million followers... The father of one of TikTok’s biggest stars said the U.S. government should “butt...

Photo by Erin Beach.

Creator Economy Summit

Announcing the Creator Economy Summit 2023 Masterclasses

By The Information · Apr 12, 2023 11:50am PDT

We’re excited to see everyone on April 20th at The Information's Creator Economy Summit. Our masterclass breakout sessions are an important part of the Summit. At this year’s event, we’ll have two sets of 45-minute breakout sessions. Here’s a preview of this year’s topics. Gen Z and the Creator Economy (1:30... We’re excited to see everyone on April 20th at The Information's Creator Economy...

From L-R: Enrico D'Angelo, Sean Kim, Kristin Bannon, Sally Shin, Sam Wick, Erin Miller

Creator Economy Summit

Creator Economy Winter, TikTok’s Rivals and NFTs: Highlights From the Creator Economy Summit

By The Information Staff · May 26, 2022 2:11pm PDT

How Instagram and Pinterest view blockchain technologies. Whether the creator economy is overfunded. Strategies for creators to buck an economic downturn. These were among the topics of discussion at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit Wednesday. Participants included Ashley Yuki, Instagram’s vice president of product; Malik... How Instagram and Pinterest view blockchain technologies. Whether the creator economy is...

TikTok star Josh Richards. Photo: Matt Azzopardi. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Twitch Is ‘Absolutely Dominating,’ Says TikTok Star Josh Richards

By Kaya Yurieff · May 25, 2022 1:00pm PDT

TikTok star Josh Richards. Photo: Matt Azzopardi. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Creator Economy Summit

Twitch Is ‘Absolutely Dominating,’ Says TikTok Star Josh Richards

By Kaya Yurieff · May 25, 2022 1:00pm PDT

TikTok’s viral short videos put Canadian creator Josh Richards on the map in 2019, after his dance moves and generation-defining hairstyle made him a Gen Z icon. Now also an entrepreneur and investor, Richards says he sees another video format poised to triumph: livestreaming. “I see Twitch absolutely dominating,”... TikTok’s viral short videos put Canadian creator Josh Richards on the map in 2019, after...

Creator Economy Summit

Announcing the Creator Economy Summit Masterclasses 2022

By The Information Staff · May 23, 2022 5:58pm PDT

We’re excited to see everyone on May 25 at The Information’s second annual Creator Economy Summit. Our masterclass breakout sessions are an important part of the Summit. At this year’s event, we’ll have three sets of 45-minute masterclasses. Here is a preview of this year’s topics. For group ticket... We’re excited to see everyone on May 25 at The Information’s second annual ...

Clockwise from top-left: Aya Kanai, Aaron DeBevoise, Sean Atkins, Marina Mogilko, Paco Suro. Photos courtesy of companies.

Creator Economy Summit

10 Takeaways from The Information’s Creator Economy Summit

By The Information Staff · Oct 29, 2021 3:22pm PDT · 3 comments

What Snap executives think about the metaverse. How China provides a road map to the U.S. creator economy. Whether membership platform Patreon will soon offer crypto products. These are some of the insights from The Information’s Creator Economy Summit on Thursday. Our speakers included the chief executives of Patreon and creator economy... What Snap executives think about the metaverse. How China provides a road map to the U.S. creator...

YouTube video blogger and entrepreneur Casey Niestat. Photo by Getty

Creator Economy Summit

YouTube Star Casey Neistat: TikTok Poses ‘Existential Risk’ to YouTube

By Sarah Krouse · Oct 28, 2021 12:20pm PDT · 2 comments

TikTok is “an existential risk” to YouTube, longtime video creator Casey Neistat said, adding that he spends more time scrolling through the ByteDance-owned short-video app than he spends on Netflix and YouTube combined. The comments by Neistat at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit underscore the fierce battle for user... TikTok is “an existential risk” to YouTube, longtime video creator Casey Neistat...

Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison. Art provided by subject. Illustration Mike Sullivan

Clubhouse CEO: We Want to Expand to Users Under 18

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 28, 2021 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison. Art provided by subject. Illustration Mike Sullivan

Creator Economy Summit

Clubhouse CEO: We Want to Expand to Users Under 18

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 28, 2021 10:00am PDT · 1 comment

Unlike most other social networks, Clubhouse requires its users to be at least 18 years old to use the social audio app. But the company could loosen that age restriction in the future, CEO and co-founder Paul Davison said at The Information’s Creator Economy Summit on Thursday. “We would like to open it up to people who are younger... Unlike most other social networks, Clubhouse requires its users to be at least 18 years old to...

YouTube chief business officer Robert Kyncl. Photo by Bloomberg

Creator Economy Summit

YouTube’s Chief Business Officer: E-Commerce Will Become Creator ‘Juggernaut’

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 28, 2021 9:49am PDT · 1 comment

The booming creator economy could become a “juggernaut” thanks to e-commerce, as individuals with online followings sell products, taking a greater share of consumer spending, said YouTube Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl. “This distributed retail is definitely a force that is starting to build. And the people who will... The booming creator economy could become a “juggernaut” thanks to e-commerce, as...

UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute. Photo by AP

Creator Economy Summit

Andreessen Horowitz Values Music Startup UnitedMasters at $550 Million

By Berber Jin · Oct 28, 2021 8:00am PDT

UnitedMasters, a music distribution app for independent musicians, has raised $50 million in a round led by venture firm Andreessen Horowitz at a $550 million valuation, including the new investment. The New York–based startup will use the cash to further its international expansion into regions like Latin America and also pay for... UnitedMasters, a music distribution app for independent musicians, has raised $50 million in a...

Nicole Quinn. Photo provided by subject. Illustration Mike Sullivan

Creator Economy Summit

Lightspeed Targets Over $5.5 Billion for New Funds

By Kate Clark and Kaya Yurieff · Oct 28, 2021 6:00am PDT · 1 comment

Lightspeed Venture Partners, the venture capital firm that made early bets on Snap and Affirm, is raising more than $5.5 billion for early- and late-stage investments, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The fresh pool of capital represents the largest fundraising yet for the two-decade-old firm and follows a string of... Lightspeed Venture Partners, the venture capital firm that made early bets on Snap and Affirm, is...

Announcing the Creator Economy Summit Masterclasses

By The Information · Oct 26, 2021 11:34am PDT · 6 comments

Creator Economy Summit

Announcing the Creator Economy Summit Masterclasses

By The Information · Oct 26, 2021 11:34am PDT · 6 comments

We’re excited to see everyone on October 28 at The Information’s inaugural Creator Economy Summit. Our masterclass breakout sessions are an important part of the Summit. At this year’s event, we’ll have three sets of 45-minute masterclasses. Here is a preview of this year’s topics. For group ticket information,... We’re excited to see everyone on October 28 at The Information’s inaugural Creator...