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Illustration by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

YouTube Makes Dislike Counts Private to Protect Creators; Our Most Promising Startups

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 10, 2021 2:58pm PST
Engagement metrics on social media, such as likes, started as an easy way for users to interact with posts. Who has the time to always write out a comment? But as time went on, they took a toll on some people, particularly young people, who used them to measure their popularity. That led Instagram to test dropping likes altogether.  On... Engagement metrics on social media, such as likes, started as an easy way for users to interact...
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook-parent Meta. Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

What I Learned About Facebook’s Creator Problem; Dropbox Gets Into Creator Tools

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 9, 2021 2:33pm PST
Much has been written about Facebook’s struggle to attract young people to its services, but journalists have spent less time unraveling how closely those efforts dovetail with attracting social media personalities. Inside the company, however, the relationship has been obvious—and represented a clear call to action. That was one of the... Much has been written about Facebook’s struggle to attract young people to its services, but...
Credit: Roblox
Creator Economy

Roblox’s Good and Bad News; Clubhouse Is No Longer Just Live

By Mahira Dayal · Nov 8, 2021 3:31pm PST
Roblox’s third-quarter financial results were a mixed bag for creators, including the millions of developers who earn money from the virtual worlds they make for the gaming platform. On the upside for everyone whose fortunes are yoked to the online economy, the kids have clearly not backed away from their video games. That’s even though... Roblox’s third-quarter financial results were a mixed bag for creators, including the millions of...
Bitly president Raleigh Harbour. Photo: Bitly. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
How Bitly is Remaking Itself in the Age of Creators
By Mahira Dayal · Nov 4, 2021 2:45pm PDT
Bitly president Raleigh Harbour. Photo: Bitly. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

How Bitly is Remaking Itself in the Age of Creators

By Mahira Dayal · Nov 4, 2021 2:45pm PDT
In a blast from the past, Bitly, a company that has quietly been shortening links for over a decade, is trying to make its way back to the limelight with the creator economy. Bitly is launching a beta version of Link Launchpad, a link-in-bio feature that acts as a landing page creators can use to share multiple links in their social media... In a blast from the past, Bitly, a company that has quietly been shortening links for over a...
Screenshots of Facebook's subscription feature. Photo: Facebook. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Facebook Ups Ante on Fan Subscriptions; Clubhouse’s Global Expansion

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 3, 2021 2:40pm PDT
Social media creators have emerged as key players in the tussle between Apple and Facebook over in-app payments. The latest: Facebook is circumventing Apple’s 30% fee on in-app purchases by offering creators a personalized subscription link. Now creators can direct fans to a website to purchase a subscription to their content using Facebook... Social media creators have emerged as key players in the tussle between Apple and Facebook over...
Creator Economy

The Startups That Followed Creators Going Remote

By Mahira Dayal · Nov 2, 2021 3:06pm PDT
When it comes to their physical locations, the 118 startups in The Information’s Creator Economy Database chose the metro areas most closely tied to tech and entertainment: 28 are in the New York City area, 23 in Los Angeles and 25 are in the San Francisco Bay Area. But eight startups founded during the pandemic, including crypto companies... When it comes to their physical locations, the 118 startups in The Information’s Creator Economy...
Photo: Pinterest, Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Pinterest Piles Into the Live Shopping Craze

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 1, 2021 2:08pm PDT
In recent years, tech companies including YouTube and Facebook have tried to woo creators and audiences with original, paid videos featuring internet stars. Now some of these companies are trying to attract more than just views: They are aiming to drive e-commerce sales as well. Pinterest is the latest to jump into the fray. On Monday, the... In recent years, tech companies including YouTube and Facebook have tried to woo creators and...
Clockwise from top left: Creator Casey Neistat; YouTube CBO Robert Kyncl; UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute; Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison; Lightspeed partner Nicole Quinn. Photos: Getty, Bloomberg, AP and the companies. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
YouTube’s Promise and Pitfalls: Highlights from The Creator Economy Summit
By Mahira Dayal · Oct 28, 2021 3:39pm PDT
Clockwise from top left: Creator Casey Neistat; YouTube CBO Robert Kyncl; UnitedMasters CEO Steve Stoute; Clubhouse CEO Paul Davison; Lightspeed partner Nicole Quinn. Photos: Getty, Bloomberg, AP and the companies. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Promise and Pitfalls: Highlights from The Creator Economy Summit

By Mahira Dayal · Oct 28, 2021 3:39pm PDT
At The Information’s Creator Economy Summit Thursday, YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl told Kaya the number of creators making a full-time living on YouTube has grown consistently for the last five years. That’s helped advertising revenue rise 40% year over year. This is an impressive stat given one might expect to see growth... At The Information’s Creator Economy Summit Thursday, YouTube’s Chief Business Officer Robert...
Illustration by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Substack Launches Paid Fellowship Program; Traders Love Trump the Creator

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 27, 2021 2:00pm PDT
Substack is offering a new, two-month fellowship program for emerging writers who are trying to increase their paid subscriber base on the newsletter publishing platform, the company exclusively tells The Information.The fellowship provides a $7,000 financial grant and perks such as proofreading, access to Getty Images, health care stipends and... Substack is offering a new, two-month fellowship program for emerging writers who are trying to...
Jennifer Stout, vice president of global public policy at Snap, and Michael Beckerman, Americas vice president and head of public policy at TikTok, in a Senate hearing Tuesday.
Creator Economy

TikTok in the Dock; YouTube’s Big Quarter

By Mark Di Stefano · Oct 26, 2021 3:18pm PDT
Remember that surreal Finsta moment from Facebook’s congressional hearing a few weeks ago? If you somehow missed it: Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked Facebook’s global head of safety: “Would you commit to ending finsta?” Twitter commentators went nuts over Blumenthal’s seeming ignorance that finsta was slang for a second private... Remember that surreal Finsta moment from Facebook’s congressional hearing a few weeks ago? If you...
Creator Economy

What Our Latest Database Launch Tells Us About the Creator Economy

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 25, 2021 3:03pm PDT
Today we launched the latest version of The Information’s Creator Economy Database, with information on more than 100 companies focused on creators. That’s double what the database contained in June! Some of the recent entrants include StreamElements, a startup that provides tools like chatbots and virtual tip jars for streamers, and Mayk.it, a... Today we launched the latest version of The Information’s Creator Economy Database, with...
Illustration by Mike Sullivan
Stripe Shows Its Creator Chops; Snap Warning Sends Chill
By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 21, 2021 3:36pm PDT
Illustration by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Stripe Shows Its Creator Chops; Snap Warning Sends Chill

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 21, 2021 3:36pm PDT
Stripe may be best known as a payments tool for tech startups, but it wants the world to know it’s big with creators, too. The San Francisco company on Thursday published a ream of data showing how its payment processing services enable creators to earn money from features like Twitter’s Super Follows, where creators can charge for bonus tweets,... Stripe may be best known as a payments tool for tech startups, but it wants the world to know it’...
Creator Tori Dunlap. Photo: Sarah Wolfe.
Creator Economy

PayPal’s Backdoor Into the Creator Economy

By Mahira Dayal · Oct 20, 2021 3:35pm PDT
PayPal is rarely paired with the term creator economy these days, but that could soon change. A Bloomberg report that the online payments company is in late-stage talks to buy Pinterest, in a deal that could value it at $45 billion, suggests PayPal wants to get more closely bound with social commerce. In doing so, it would join companies... PayPal is rarely paired with the term creator economy these days, but that could soon change. A ...
Creator Economy

Podcasters Rule on Patreon (Chart); Li Jin Joins a Crypto Firm

By Mahira Dayal · Oct 19, 2021 3:18pm PDT
Our latest chart shows that on Patreon, podcasters rule the roost. Publicly disclosed earnings for some of the fan-membership website’s most widely followed creators found that audio is both the most popular and lucrative medium. A top podcaster can make an estimated $30,000 per month, on average. That’s double the second-most remunerative... Our latest chart shows that on Patreon, podcasters rule the roost. Publicly disclosed...
Animal Capital managing director Marshall Sandman. Photo: Marshall Sandman
Creator Economy

Q&A With Animal Capital’s Marshall Sandman; TikTok’s Growing Influence on YouTube

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 18, 2021 2:57pm PDT
Before becoming managing partner at Gen Z-focused venture firm Animal Capital early this year, Marshall Sandman had been advising celebrities, reality TV stars and social media creators, such as chef Jake Cohen, about what he calls building the “equity component of their business.” That work, which he has kept up on the side, includes educating... Before becoming managing partner at Gen Z-focused venture firm Animal Capital early this year, ...
At Roblox's developer conference, the company said creators can now create and sell their own items for avatars, such as hats and clothing. Photo: Roblox
Roblox to Offer NFT-Like Collectibles; FTC Fires Shots on Sponsored Content
By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 14, 2021 2:49pm PDT
At Roblox's developer conference, the company said creators can now create and sell their own items for avatars, such as hats and clothing. Photo: Roblox
Creator Economy

Roblox to Offer NFT-Like Collectibles; FTC Fires Shots on Sponsored Content

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 14, 2021 2:49pm PDT
Roblox has faced criticism that it’s difficult for young game developers—also referred to as creators —to earn money from its online gaming service. The company’s developer conference on Thursday tried to paint a rosier picture. Roblox said it now has 1.3 million creators earning money on the platform. It’s on track to pay $500 million to these... Roblox has faced criticism that it’s difficult for young game developers—also referred to as...
Photo: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Harassment Problem; Lessons for Creators From Udemy

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 13, 2021 2:43pm PDT
TikTok’s latest report on how much hateful content and harassment it removes shows its challenge in protecting popular creators from bullying. During the second quarter, TikTok said it removed more than 81 million videos globally for violating its rules. Of these, videos containing harassment and bullying made up 6.8%. The biggest category... TikTok’s latest report on how much hateful content and harassment it removes shows its challenge...
An image of TeamPaper from Retrieve. Photo: Retrieve
Creator Economy

Student Athlete Influencers Are Big Business; Twitter Details Audio Accelerator

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 12, 2021 3:08pm PDT
Over the summer, startup executive Patrick Griffin began reading more about how student-athletes were becoming influencers, thanks to loosened restrictions by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. But as a former college athlete himself, he knew these time-stretched students would have a hard time building social followings as... Over the summer, startup executive Patrick Griffin began reading more about how student-athletes...
Influencer Cameron Dallas. Photo: Ralph Lauren
Creator Economy

Patreon Rival Fanfix Names Instagram Star Cameron Dallas as Co-Founder

By Kaya Yurieff · Oct 11, 2021 2:08pm PDT
Fanfix, which operates a website where social media creators charge their fans for exclusive content like bonus videos or photos, has brought on Instagram star Cameron Dallas as a co-founder, the company told The Information. The appointment hasn’t previously been reported.The nine-month-old startup aims to be an alternative to membership sites... Fanfix, which operates a website where social media creators charge their fans for exclusive...
Ten Startups Focused on Creators and NFTs
By Mahira Dayal · Oct 7, 2021 3:30pm PDT
Creator Economy

Ten Startups Focused on Creators and NFTs

By Mahira Dayal · Oct 7, 2021 3:30pm PDT
Our latest chart shows that venture capitalists are enthused about investing in companies that are straddling two in-the-moment sectors: creators and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), the unique digital assets based on the blockchain. Our analysis of The Information’s Creator Economy database shows that venture firms have invested $250 million in... Our latest chart shows that venture capitalists are enthused about investing in companies that...