Recent Editions

How creator diversity programs compare. Table: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

What’s Hot at VidCon; How Creator Diversity Programs Compare (Chart)

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 23, 2022 3:11pm PDT
VidCon kicked off on Wednesday evening, with welcome receptions, social media-worthy spaces for creators to hang out and excited teen fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite influencer. My first stop was Meta Platforms’ creator lounge, a private space for creators to hang out–and of course take photos and shoot Reels.... VidCon kicked off on Wednesday evening, with welcome receptions, social media-worthy spaces for...
Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

NFT Lovers Buck the Crypto Crash

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 22, 2022 2:14pm PDT
If you attended this year’s NFT NYC conference, you wouldn’t think we’re knee-deep in a crypto crash. Lines to register at the Marriott Marquis at Times Square wrapped around the block and snaked up five floors of the hotel on Tuesday. NFT enthusiasts, tech employees and digital artists, who paid at least $599 for general admission tickets, told... If you attended this year’s NFT NYC conference, you wouldn’t think we’re knee-deep in a crypto...
TikTok star Charli D'Amelio. Photo: AP
Creator Economy

Who’s Headed to VidCon; Facebook Extends Fee-Free Creator Tools

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 21, 2022 2:12pm PDT
It’s a busy week for conferences touching various areas of the creator economy, from advertising at the Cannes Lions Festival in France to crypto topics at NFT NYC and, of course, the Super Bowl of the influencer industry, VidCon in Anaheim, Calif. While I’m at VidCon, my colleague Mark Di Stefano is on the ground in Cannes and Mahira Dayal is... It’s a busy week for conferences touching various areas of the creator economy, from advertising...
Maitree Mervana Parekh, a principal at Acrew Capital. Photo: Maitree Mervana Parekh
TikTok’s Rising Venture Capitalists; Yanked Brand Deals; Viral Entomology
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 16, 2022 3:30pm PDT
Maitree Mervana Parekh, a principal at Acrew Capital. Photo: Maitree Mervana Parekh
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Rising Venture Capitalists; Yanked Brand Deals; Viral Entomology

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 16, 2022 3:30pm PDT
Some venture capital firms are experimenting with TikTok as a marketing tool to reach people in their mid-20s. Maitree Mervana Parekh, 29, a principal at Acrew Capital, sees it differently: As a way to portray her interests outside work and experience what it means to be a creator, which she says gives her a deeper understanding of founders and... Some venture capital firms are experimenting with TikTok as a marketing tool to reach people in...
Art by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

YouTube Says 1.5 Billion People Watch Shorts; Twitch Ramps Up Ad-Share

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 15, 2022 2:57pm PDT
YouTube on Wednesday released new statistics on the growth in Shorts, the short-form video feature it launched to rival TikTok: More than 1.5 billion people who log into YouTube every month watch Shorts. On its surface, that statistic is impressive. It’s 50% more than the 1 billion monthly users TikTok reported in September. And it's 75% of... YouTube on Wednesday released new statistics on the growth in Shorts, the short-form video...
Kim Nortman, co-founder and CEO of Tellie. Credit: Kim Nortman
Creator Economy

Startup Tellie to Test Whether Creator NFTs Can Withstand a Crypto Winter

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 14, 2022 4:07pm PDT
Cryptocurrencies and crypto companies are in a tailspin. On Tuesday, crypto exchange Coinbase laid off 18% of its staff, CEO Brian Armstrong suggested we’re headed for a “crypto winter,” and the price of bitcoin fell to more than 50% from its peak. The violent reversal from the crypto euphoria experienced just a few months ago poses a big test... Cryptocurrencies and crypto companies are in a tailspin. On Tuesday, crypto exchange Coinbase...
Chart: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

A Chart of People on the Move at Creator Startups

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 13, 2022 3:11pm PDT
Every week, this newsletter tracks the movement of employees in the creator economy, who are often hopping between the big social networks, startups and agencies. People leave their jobs for a variety of reasons, from the chance to take a more senior position to the allure of joining a fast-growing startup. And of course, some don’t announce... Every week, this newsletter tracks the movement of employees in the creator economy, who are...
Photo: Bloomberg
TikTok Trods a Well-Worn Path With Screen Limits
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 9, 2022 2:13pm PDT
Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

TikTok Trods a Well-Worn Path With Screen Limits

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 9, 2022 2:13pm PDT
What’s an easy way to show you’re committed to young people’s well-being—without doing much to change what makes an app addictive? More screen time reminders! TikTok on Thursday announced new screen time controls, joining other social apps and smartphone makers that have instituted similar features in recent years. The ByteDance-owned... What’s an easy way to show you’re committed to young people’s well-being—without doing much to...
Art by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Spotify Aims for the Moon on Podcasts; Meta Launches Roblox Rival

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 8, 2022 3:59pm PDT
Spotify used its second-ever investor day Wednesday to go big—very big—on podcasts, which CEO and co-founder Daniel Ek seems to view as a type of jet fuel that will shoot the streaming service’s business into the stratosphere. Executives told investors that podcasts, which brought in $215 million in revenue last year, are a “$20 billion global... Spotify used its second-ever investor day Wednesday to go big—very big—on podcasts, which CEO and...
A displaced Ukrainian listens to the speech of Ukrainian President Zelensky at a temporary shelter in Hungary in February. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Ukraine War’s Impact on Creators; Longer Instagram Reels; Johnny Depp Joins TikTok

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 7, 2022 2:09pm PDT
After more than 100 days of war in Ukraine, social media users in the U.S. have largely moved on from posting about it. But what some journalists have described as the first “TikTok war” has set a new precedent for social media dispatches from the frontlines of a conflict. A new report set to publish Wednesday takes a look at how creators have... After more than 100 days of war in Ukraine, social media users in the U.S. have largely moved on...
Link-in-bio startups. Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Creators Are Awash in Link-in-Bio Products

By Mahira Dayal · Jun 6, 2022 3:52pm PDT · 1 comment
The link-in-bio space is getting crowded. We count 40 websites that offer these landing pages that display creators’ social media accounts, affiliate links to products they promote and their own podcasts, videos and music. These include standalone startups such as Linktree and features from larger companies like Shopify’s Linkpop. This ... The link-in-bio space is getting crowded. We count 40 websites that offer these landing pages...
Creator Caryn Marjorie. Photo: Ishan Goel
Lessons From China’s Creator Economy; YouTuber Caryn Marjorie on YouTube’s Waning Influence
By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 2, 2022 2:03pm PDT
Creator Caryn Marjorie. Photo: Ishan Goel
Creator Economy

Lessons From China’s Creator Economy; YouTuber Caryn Marjorie on YouTube’s Waning Influence

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 2, 2022 2:03pm PDT
By some measures, China has the world’s largest and most mature creator economy. Chinese sites embraced online tipping years before Western counterparts Twitch and YouTube. Before TikTok blew up in the West, the app’s Chinese version Douyin was already a hit in China. And the latest trend that has taken China by storm is livestreaming ecommerce,... By some measures, China has the world’s largest and most mature creator economy. Chinese sites...
Facebook employees and family members march during the 44th annual San Francisco Gay Pride parade Sunday, June 29, 2014, in San Francisco.
Creator Economy

How to Celebrate Pride Month Better; Sheryl Sandberg’s Exit Leads to Shakeup

By Mark Di Stefano · Jun 1, 2022 2:50pm PDT · 1 comment
Let’s start by wishing you all a Happy Pride Month! We’ve come a long way from rainbow-framed Facebook profile pictures to mark Pride, the months-long celebration of LGBTQ history and culture. But I’ve also noticed a backlash against supporting Pride from certain (loud) corners of the internet. This has got me thinking about whether there’s a... Let’s start by wishing you all a Happy Pride Month! We’ve come a long way from rainbow-framed...
Charts: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

The Charts Showing Creator Economy Investments This Year

By Kaya Yurieff · May 31, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Before we dive into today’s news, I wanted to draw your attention to some updates we made recently to The Information’s Creator Economy Database, which now counts more than 240 private companies, up from 50 when we launched it last summer. In our latest update to the database, we’ve added the charts above, which break down how much money... Before we dive into today’s news, I wanted to draw your attention to some updates we made...
From left to right: Spring COO Annelies Jansen, Verishop co-founder Cate Khan, creator Dominique Broadway and Patreon’s head of creator partnerships Avi Gandhi. Photo: Mike Sullivan.
Creator Economy

What a Potential Recession Means for Creators; OnlyFans Founder’s Next Act; Pinterest Is Hiring

By Kaya Yurieff · May 26, 2022 2:59pm PDT
The Information’s Creator Economy Summit on Wednesday took place against the backdrop of a looming downturn and rising inflation. Reduced consumer spending would cut to the core of the creator economy. Sponsorships with brands are the top way many creators make money. If advertisers reduce spending this year, that could impact creator earnings—... The Information’s Creator Economy Summit on Wednesday took place against the backdrop of a...
Creator Economy Leaders Respond to Texas Shooting; Creator Startups Rise to 200; Understanding Twitter’s CEO
Creator Economy Leaders Respond to Texas Shooting; Creator Startups Rise to 200; Understanding Twitter’s CEO
By Mahira Dayal · May 25, 2022 3:31pm PDT
Creator Economy Leaders Respond to Texas Shooting; Creator Startups Rise to 200; Understanding Twitter’s CEO
Creator Economy

Creator Economy Leaders Respond to Texas Shooting; Creator Startups Rise to 200; Understanding Twitter’s CEO

By Mahira Dayal · May 25, 2022 3:31pm PDT
It’s hard to jump into the creator economy topics we love to discuss when we’re grieving over the lives lost in Tuesday’s Texas elementary school shooting. That’s what several of our speakers also told us when we kicked off our second Creator Economy Summit on Wednesday. Their comments felt particularly somber given last week’s mass shooting in... It’s hard to jump into the creator economy topics we love to discuss when we’re grieving over the...
Faraz Fatemi. Photo: Lightspeed. Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Lightspeed’s New Consumer Partner on Seed Deals, the Downturn and a Timeline for the Metaverse

By Mahira Dayal · May 24, 2022 3:49pm PDT
Last week, we caught up with Faraz Fatemi, who joined Lightspeed Venture Partners last month as a partner focused on consumer investments. Fatemi previously led monetization, growth and corporate development initiatives at Clubhouse, where he worked from June 2021 to earlier this year, and before that invested in startups at Bain Capital... Last week, we caught up with Faraz Fatemi, who joined Lightspeed Venture Partners last month as a...
Creator Josh Richards, LTK exec Reesa Lake, Pinterest chief content officer Malik Ducard and Duolingo’s global social media manager Zaria Parvez (from left to right). Photo: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

An Insider’s Guide to Our Upcoming Creator Economy Summit

By Kaya Yurieff · May 23, 2022 3:00pm PDT · 1 comment
The Information’s second Creator Economy Summit is happening this Wednesday. For the past two months, I’ve been preparing for our interviews with creators, startup leaders and executives at major tech companies including Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest. (You can still register here.) This prep work has come at a pivotal time for the... The Information’s second Creator Economy Summit is happening this Wednesday. For the past two...
Screenshots from Cameo. Graphic: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Lessons From Cameo’s Sales Shortfall; Talk of a ‘Creator Economy Winter’; Streaming Loses Some Luster

By Kaya Yurieff · May 19, 2022 3:05pm PDT
Our story earlier today detailing cooling demand and a slowdown in sales at celebrity-video shoutout app Cameo holds some warning signs for other creator economy startups and companies buoyed by the pandemic. Cameo’s operating expenses soared to nearly $79 million last year, from $30 million in 2020. That contributed to deeper losses:... Our story earlier today detailing cooling demand and a slowdown in sales at celebrity-video...
Art: Mike Sullivan
TikTok Curbs the Copycats; A Metaverse Startup Beloved by Female Gamers Is Also Profitable
By Mahira Dayal · May 18, 2022 3:18pm PDT
Art: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

TikTok Curbs the Copycats; A Metaverse Startup Beloved by Female Gamers Is Also Profitable

By Mahira Dayal · May 18, 2022 3:18pm PDT
TikTok thrives on viral videos: users replicating dance steps, copying video formats and reusing ideas. But creators have long complained about TikTokers who copy their work but neglect to credit their ideas. TikTok is finally trying to change that. The app on Wednesday announced new ways to tag and credit creators in video descriptions, a... TikTok thrives on viral videos: users replicating dance steps, copying video formats and reusing...