Recent Editions

DJ Diplo. Photo by Maria José Govea
Creator Economy

DJ Diplo on ChatGPT, TikTok and the ‘Letdown’ of Web3

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 11, 2023 2:39pm PDT
When thousands of people gathered at Los Angeles’ historic Greek Theatre in early February to pay tribute to P-22, a mountain lion who became something of a viral hit as he roamed the Hollywood Hills neighborhood, the house music star Diplo delivered a eulogy to the crowd. He credits OpenAI’s ChatGPT for helping him write a remembrance tinged... When thousands of people gathered at Los Angeles’ historic Greek Theatre in early February to pay...
Photo via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

TikTok Shopping Is Off to a Slow Start

By Isabelle Sarraf · Apr 10, 2023 2:06pm PDT
TikTok invited hundreds of U.S. merchants to join its shopping service in November, but fewer than 100 of them were using it as of last month, my colleagues Juro, Theo, Ann and Kaya reported on Monday. That’s just some of the reporting that shows how few inroads TikTok has made in U.S. e-commerce so far.Yes, the U.S. version of TikTok Shop is... TikTok invited hundreds of U.S. merchants to join its shopping service in November, but fewer...
Art by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

How Creators Are Making Money From ByteDance-owned CapCut

By Isabelle Sarraf · Apr 6, 2023 4:46pm PDT
So many TikTok videos on my For You Page the last few weeks have featured a CapCut overlay of “The Last of Us” actor Pedro Pascal eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The template, made on the app owned by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has been used more than 1.15 million times on TikTok and other apps, according to metrics from... So many TikTok videos on my For You Page the last few weeks have featured a CapCut overlay of “...
Priyanka Naik, a self-taught vegan chef. Photo: Courtesy of Priyanka Naik.
The Ex-Twitter Employee Going Viral With Vegan Food
By Isabelle Sarraf · Apr 5, 2023 3:11pm PDT
Priyanka Naik, a self-taught vegan chef. Photo: Courtesy of Priyanka Naik.
Creator Economy

The Ex-Twitter Employee Going Viral With Vegan Food

By Isabelle Sarraf · Apr 5, 2023 3:11pm PDT
Until November, Priyanka Naik’s career as a food blogger took place around the sidelines of her main job at Twitter, where she most recently led the social network’s North American and Latin American partnerships with large companies developing products with its API, or backend to its tweet data. But after she lost that position in layoffs that... Until November, Priyanka Naik’s career as a food blogger took place around the sidelines of her...
Photo: Mike Sullivan via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

Burning Questions About Instagram, LinkedIn and Creator Marketplaces

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 4, 2023 2:38pm PDT
A few weeks ago, I asked readers to submit their questions about the creator economy. Let’s dive into a few of them today, and please keep the questions coming!1. Is Instagram dead? What should they do to stay relevant? —Anonymous subscriberAny eulogies for Instagram are premature. While the app has had plenty of stumbles in its fight against ... A few weeks ago, I asked readers to submit their questions about the creator economy. Let’s dive...
Illustration by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

The Twitter Verification Purge That Wasn’t

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 3, 2023 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment
Public figures ranging from celebrities to journalists braced for their blue check marks on Twitter to disappear over the weekend if they weren’t paying for Twitter Blue, its subscription service. For the most part, this didn’t happen. Instead, the social network simply decided to update the description of verified accounts. But some rivals are... Public figures ranging from celebrities to journalists braced for their blue check marks on ...
Photo via Gumroad
Creator Economy

Gumroad Turns a Profit After Price Hike

By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 30, 2023 3:17pm PDT
Gumroad, which provides tools to creators including landing pages and help with product sales, recorded the largest monthly profits in its 11-year history in recent months after raising prices.Gumroad recorded net income of $82,270 in January, Sahil Lavingia, Gumroad’s founder and CEO, told its crowdfunding investors and creators Thursday in a... Gumroad, which provides tools to creators including landing pages and help with product sales,...
Photo by AP
ByteDance’s Social App Lemon8 Wins New Users
By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 29, 2023 2:37pm PDT
Photo by AP
Creator Economy

ByteDance’s Social App Lemon8 Wins New Users

By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 29, 2023 2:37pm PDT
As TikTok faces threats of a ban in the U.S., its China-based parent company ByteDance has been courting creators for Lemon8, its app that rivals Instagram. Self-described as a “hobbyist community,” the image-based app’s homepage features TikTok-like “Following” and “For You” feeds, and divides content into categories such as fashion, beauty and... As TikTok faces threats of a ban in the U.S., its China-based parent company ByteDance has been...
Torch Capital founder Jon Keidan. Photo courtesy of Torch
Creator Economy

VC Firm Torch Capital Raises Second $200 Million Fund

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 28, 2023 2:49pm PDT
Torch Capital, an early-stage venture firm, raised $200 million for its second fund, The Information is first to report. The New York-based firm, which has $400 million in assets under management, has backed startups including investing platform Acorns, real estate company Compass and salad chain Sweetgreen. Its creator economy investments... Torch Capital, an early-stage venture firm, raised $200 million for its second fund, The...
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Photo by Bloomberg
Creator Economy

TikTok Is on the Defensive

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 27, 2023 2:17pm PDT
I’m getting a lot more texts about whether I think TikTok will be banned following CEO Shou Zi Chew’s Congressional hearing last week. The growing possibility is starting to spook creators and businesses who use the short-form video app. Golin, a major PR firm that hires creators on behalf of brand clients, asked some clients to hold off on... I’m getting a lot more texts about whether I think TikTok will be banned following CEO Shou Zi...
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Photo by Getty
Creator Economy

TikTok CEO Keeps His Cool, But Scores Few Points

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 23, 2023 4:00pm PDT · 1 comment
Well, that was something. For roughly five hours on Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded to a grilling by representatives from both major political parties who bombarded him with questions and accusations related to national security, TikTok’s data practices, and its Chinese parent company ByteDance’s alleged relationship with the Chinese... Well, that was something. For roughly five hours on Thursday, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew responded...
Brian Freeman, CEO and founder of Creatorland. Art by Shane Burke.
A Startup Wants to Help Creators Network and Hire
By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 22, 2023 3:20pm PDT
Brian Freeman, CEO and founder of Creatorland. Art by Shane Burke.
Creator Economy

A Startup Wants to Help Creators Network and Hire

By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 22, 2023 3:20pm PDT
Creators need to mingle. To market themselves and their work, they need to constantly connect with their peers, professionals supporting creators and advertisers. But traditional networking and recruiting  sites such as LinkedIn and Fiverr can come up short for creators, especially when it comes to finding industry-specific opportunities... Creators need to mingle. To market themselves and their work, they need to constantly connect...
Photo via Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Twitter’s Tipping and Coin Features Are Disappearing

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 21, 2023 1:30pm PDT
Twitter over the last two years introduced several features to help creators make money off the platform. But in recent weeks, some have stopped functioning, throwing its efforts to court creators into disarray. Its 18-month-old tipping feature has disappeared from creators’ accounts on its website, but still appears on mobile, according to... Twitter over the last two years introduced several features to help creators make money off the...
Chart: Shane Burke
Creator Economy

How Meta Verified Compares to Other Social Subscriptions

By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 20, 2023 3:20pm PDT
Pegged as a bundle “to help creators establish their presence” on its platforms, Meta Verified grants subscribers a blue checkmark, extra protection from impersonation and a direct line to customer support for an $11.99 monthly price tag (or $14.99 on mobile). But it will no longer include an increase in visibility and reach for paid users.... Pegged as a bundle “to help creators establish their presence” on its platforms, Meta Verified...
Photo via AP
Creator Economy

TikTokers Have Been Through Ban Threats Before

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 16, 2023 3:15pm PDT · 1 comment
The threat of a TikTok ban is once again a real possibility, after U.S. officials said the ByteDance-owned app needed to rid itself of its Chinese ownership. Creators, having been through this rigmarole three years ago, are more prepared this time.In August 2020—when a U.S. ban felt imminent under former President Donald Trump—many of them ... The threat of a TikTok ban is once again a real possibility, after U.S. officials said the...
Sima Gandhi, CEO and co-founder of Creative Juice. Art by Shane Burke.
Creators Get Help With Their Taxes
By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 15, 2023 3:19pm PDT · 1 comment
Sima Gandhi, CEO and co-founder of Creative Juice. Art by Shane Burke.
Creator Economy

Creators Get Help With Their Taxes

By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 15, 2023 3:19pm PDT · 1 comment
With the April 18 tax deadline creeping up, many creators are firing up QuickBooks for the first time and wading through online forums to identify the tax write-offs they can claim. It’s not as intuitive as it seems, particularly for those new to reporting income from their online careers that have to string together multiple sources of... With the April 18 tax deadline creeping up, many creators are firing up QuickBooks for the first...
Porsche executives discussed digital collectibles at its SXSW event. Photo via Porsche
Creator Economy

At SXSW, Artificial Intelligence Fills Crypto Void

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 14, 2023 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment
A big shift at South by Southwest this year is the buzz around artificial intelligence and the relative absence of crypto events after a bonanza last year. Last year, crypto was hard to escape at the tech and arts festival: SXSW attendees sipped on mimosas at a brunch for women in Web3 or waited in long lines to see an interactive event... A big shift at South by Southwest this year is the buzz around artificial intelligence and the...
Photo via Bloomberg
Creator Economy

SVB Sends a Chill Through Hot SXSW

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 13, 2023 3:25pm PDT
It’s been a wild few days at South by Southwest, the annual tech and arts festival in Austin. The conference is hopping again, with deep lines for many corporate events and parties. But Silicon Valley Bank’s implosion hung over the kickoff, ranging from panic on Friday as startups and investors scrambled to navigate the collapse, to relief by... It’s been a wild few days at South by Southwest, the annual tech and arts festival in Austin. The...
Art by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Discord Joins the AI Stampede

By Isabelle Sarraf · Mar 9, 2023 2:00pm PST · 1 comment
Another company is jumping on the artificial intelligence bandwagon: Discord, which is infusing AI into several platform features, including its mascot bot, Clyde. The messaging app commonly used by gamers announced Thursday it’s dipping its toes into OpenAI technology, transforming Clyde into a talkative chatbot that can answer user... Another company is jumping on the artificial intelligence bandwagon: Discord, which is infusing...
Julie McNamara, Spotify’s head of global podcast studios, oversees originals and exclusives. Photo: Spotify
Spotify Redoubles Podcast Efforts
By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 8, 2023 2:59pm PST
Julie McNamara, Spotify’s head of global podcast studios, oversees originals and exclusives. Photo: Spotify
Creator Economy

Spotify Redoubles Podcast Efforts

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 8, 2023 2:59pm PST
Over the past two years, Spotify became known for pricey, exclusive deals with popular podcasters, including Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper and Emma Chamberlain. But the audio streaming company also wants to help a broader swath of podcasters, an effort that was center stage at Spotify’s annual Stream On event in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Spotify... Over the past two years, Spotify became known for pricey, exclusive deals with popular...