Ai Creator Economy

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Recent Articles about Ai Creator Economy
YouTuber Dhar Mann. Photo: Dhar Mann Studios
Creator Economy

The Dizzying Rise of Dhar Mann

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 27, 2025 2:18pm PDT
In early June, I pulled up to a giant lot in Burbank, Calif. about four miles down the road from Warner Brothers Studios, where “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory” were filmed. I was there to tour the set and offices where YouTuber Dhar Mann runs a growing entertainment empire.Mann, who leases the 125,000 square foot production studio, part of... In early June, I pulled up to a giant lot in Burbank, Calif. about four miles down the road from...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

How Snap Can Turn on the Creator Spigot

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 26, 2025 1:12pm PDT
Where does Snap go from here? The nearly fourteen-year-old company is struggling to grow its ad business, particularly compared to larger Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube. At the same time, CEO Evan Spiegel remains laser focused on his long-time, big bet: the company’s augmented reality glasses, Spectacles. To keep funding the AR project,... Where does Snap go from here? The nearly fourteen-year-old company is struggling to grow its ad...
Beehiiv CEO Tyler Denk (left) speaks with The Information's Akash Pasricha.
Creator Economy

How Beehiiv Is Taking on Substack

By Kaya Yurieff and Akash Pasricha · Aug 19, 2025 3:16pm PDT
Newsletter publishers are having a moment again. Beehiiv, a four-year-old competitor to the larger and older Substack, is on pace to double its total revenue this year, to $30 million, CEO and co-founder Tyler Denk told my colleague Akash Pasricha on Tuesday during an interview on TITV, The Information’s new daily streaming show. Investors... Newsletter publishers are having a moment again. Beehiiv, a four-year-old competitor to the...
Carrie Colbert, Curate’s founder, and RJ Larese, a venture partner and head of “influential investing.” Photo credit: Becki Smith of Smith House Photo and courtesy of Larese.
VC Firm Taps Creators as LPs, Startup Advisers
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 6, 2025 2:02pm PDT
Carrie Colbert, Curate’s founder, and RJ Larese, a venture partner and head of “influential investing.” Photo credit: Becki Smith of Smith House Photo and courtesy of Larese.
Creator Economy

VC Firm Taps Creators as LPs, Startup Advisers

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 6, 2025 2:02pm PDT
When Pepsi acquired probiotic soda maker Poppi in May for nearly $2 billion, influencer Alix Earle also won big. The TikTok star, who promoted the brand on social media and appeared in the company’s Super Bowl commercial, got equity in the company rather than just the typical cash payment. Curate Capital, a venture capital firm that invests... When Pepsi acquired probiotic soda maker Poppi in May for nearly $2 billion, influencer Alix...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Snap’s Ad Slowdown Overshadows Video Gains

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 5, 2025 3:31pm PDT
Snap’s bleak second-quarter results were a letdown after a parade of upbeat reports from Meta Platforms, YouTube and Reddit. The Snapchat owner’s revenue rose 9% to nearly $1.35 billion during the second quarter, a slowdown from the 14% to 15% growth Snap saw in recent quarters. Snap’s bleak second-quarter results were a letdown after a parade of upbeat reports from Meta...
Still from our interview with LTK co-founder Amber Venz Box on the July 24 episode of TITV.
Creator Economy

The Creator Startup Banning AI Bots

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 29, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Nearly everywhere I look, I’m seeing signs of how artificial intelligence is shaking up the way we engage online, from shopping to social media. OpenAI is reportedly working on a new checkout feature, betting that more consumers will turn to chatbots like its ChatGPT to find and purchase products. At the same time, I’m seeing an influx of... Nearly everywhere I look, I’m seeing signs of how artificial intelligence is shaking up the way...
Photo: Drew Snadecki for TVU Networks
Creator Economy

The Tech Company That Powered Kai Cenat’s Streaming University

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 15, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Kai Cenat, the world’s top Twitch streamer, made a splash in late May with a four-day “Streamer University” bootcamp for aspiring creators. Cenat, who has more than 18 million followers on the Amazon-owned site, along with fellow Twitch streamer Dennis Duke and rapper and YouTuber DDG and others, offered up classes teaching streamers how to... Kai Cenat, the world’s top Twitch streamer, made a splash in late May with a four-day “Streamer...
Photo via Adobe
TikTok, Instagram May Worsen Streaming Ad Market’s Woes
By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 1, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Photo via Adobe
Creator Economy

TikTok, Instagram May Worsen Streaming Ad Market’s Woes

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 1, 2025 2:00pm PDT
The TV streaming market is getting awfully crowded! Last week, Kalley and I broke the news that Instagram and TikTok are both working on versions of their video apps better suited for TV screens, following YouTube’s success in the living room.It’s easy to understand why these social media companies want to get in the game. Advertisers generally... The TV streaming market is getting awfully crowded! Last week, Kalley and I broke the news that ...
From left: Morgan Absher, Host of Two Hot Takes, “The Bachelorette” star Rachel Lindsay, Jake Shane, Host of Therapuss and Roman Wasenmüller, Head of Podcast Business at Spotify. Photo by Getty Images for Spotify.
Creator Economy

Podcasters Want to Go Live On Spotify (Again)

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 18, 2025 1:00pm PDT
Podcasters are a visible presence at Cannes Lions this year, joining the several hundred creators in attendance. I caught up with three of them—Jake Shane, Rachel Lindsay and Morgan Ashley Absher— at Spotify’s beachfront event, and asked them what features they’d like to see Spotify roll out next. Their answer surprised me: They... Podcasters are a visible presence at Cannes Lions this year, joining the several hundred creators...
Roman Wasenmüller, Spotify’s head of podcast business, speaks at The Information's Future of Influence event. Photo by Erin Beach
Creator Economy

No, It’s Not Too Late to Start a Podcast

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 10, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Podcasting is booming, driven by the rise of video shows and podcasters’ sway during last year’s presidential election. That’s got me thinking about whether podcasting has become too saturated. It’s a question I posed to our podcasting panel at The Information’s Future of Influence event last week in Los Angeles. Spotify doesn’t think so.... Podcasting is booming, driven by the rise of video shows and podcasters’ sway during last year’s...
The Walking Dead Zombies attend an event for the final season of the show in Milan, Italy. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Studio Behind 'The Walking Dead' Buys Creator Management Firm

By Kaya Yurieff · May 13, 2025 2:02pm PDT
A big theme I’ve been tracking this year is the growing convergence between Hollywood and the creator economy. In the latest example of that trend, Skybound Entertainment, the Los Angeles studio behind franchises including “The Walking Dead” and comic book and TV series “Invincible,” has acquired Nine Four Entertainment. The talent... A big theme I’ve been tracking this year is the growing convergence between Hollywood and the...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo via Getty
Snap ‘Headwinds’ Warning Overshadows Video Progress
By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 29, 2025 3:48pm PDT
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Snap ‘Headwinds’ Warning Overshadows Video Progress

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 29, 2025 3:48pm PDT
Snap is one of the first social media companies to report results, giving investors an early feel for how these advertising-supported businesses are faring. If it’s any guide, the future view was glum, overshadowing gains the company has made with video and subscriptions. The Snapchat parent company said Tuesday it couldn’t provide... Snap is one of the first social media companies to report results, giving investors an early feel...
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg via Getty
Creator Economy

Why Facebook Mulled Wiping Friends Lists

By Kalley Huang and Kaya Yurieff · Apr 22, 2025 2:02pm PDT
Trials are great for airing technology executives’ private ruminations, including some of their most out-there strategies. Among the most extraordinary that have so far come to light in the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust lawsuit against Meta Platforms is CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s “potentially crazy idea” in 2022 for refreshing Facebook: ... Trials are great for airing technology executives’ private ruminations, including some of their...
Funding Hits Four-Year High; Another TikTok Exec to Exit
Creator Economy

Funding Hits Four-Year High; Another TikTok Exec to Exit

By Kaya Yurieff · Apr 17, 2025 2:53pm PDT
Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is roaring back—with a caveat. Investors are making bigger bets on fewer companies, mirroring the broader funding environment for startups.As we outlined in a story earlier today, U.S. creator economy startups raised more money in the first three months of the year than in any quarter since 2021, when... Funding for U.S. creator economy startups is roaring back—with a caveat. Investors are making...
Art by Mike Sullivan/Midjourney
Creator Economy

How AI Could Eat Creators’ Affiliate Revenue

By Ann Gehan · Apr 10, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Creators are staring down what they say is a growing threat: artificial intelligence-powered searches cutting into their lucrative product recommendations. More people are turning to AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity to search the web for information and shopping inspiration, and Google has started adding more AI-powered features to its... Creators are staring down what they say is a growing threat: artificial intelligence-powered...
Photo via Getty
Why a 30-Year-Old Magazine Is Embracing Creators
By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 27, 2025 2:07pm PDT
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Why a 30-Year-Old Magazine Is Embracing Creators

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 27, 2025 2:07pm PDT
Traditional media outlets are dealing with the rise of AI summaries on sites like Google and the popularity of chatbots, which threaten to siphon away traffic coming from search. At the same time, young people are increasingly getting their news from creators and social media. With these factors in mind, 30-year-old Fast Company launched a... Traditional media outlets are dealing with the rise of AI summaries on sites like Google and the...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

TikTok Bidders Seek Potential Cloud Support from Microsoft, Google

By Kaya Yurieff and Sri Muppidi · Mar 25, 2025 1:00pm PDT
TikTok bidders are trying to get their ducks in a row as President Trump’s April 5 deadline to find a buyer for TikTok’s U.S. operations approaches. That means making sure they have a cloud firm lined up to keep TikTok running after a sale.Those interested include smaller investor groups who want to run the app and leverage the TikTok brand, but... TikTok bidders are trying to get their ducks in a row as President Trump’s April 5 deadline to...
Ghost Agency cofounders Nicole Rechtszaid and Jenny Woo.
Creator Economy

Why One Founder Is Giving Up On TikTok

By Ann Gehan · Jan 28, 2025 2:00pm PST
TikTok’s roughly 12-hour shutdown earlier this month, however brief, was a reality check for businesses built around the app. Before that, many brands and creators that sell goods on TikTok’s shopping service, TikTok Shop, had been kicking the can down the road on what to do if the app disappeared. Nicole Rechtszaid, the founder of Ghost... TikTok’s roughly 12-hour shutdown earlier this month, however brief, was a reality check for...
Photos by Getty.
Creator Economy

The Year In Charts, From Podcasts to Startup Funding

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 17, 2024 2:00pm PST
We published a ton of our popular charts and tables this year, comparing everything from TikTok’s growing list of rivals to shifts in how creators make money. After looking back at our work, three data points stand out for representing major themes in the creator economy this year.First up: podcasting’s big boom. The most popular hosts,... We published a ton of our popular charts and tables this year, comparing everything from TikTok’s...
"Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper at Wednesday’s DealBook Summit. Photo via Getty.
Alex Cooper’s Trump Call; Influencer Marketing M&A
By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 4, 2024 2:23pm PST
"Call Her Daddy" host Alex Cooper at Wednesday’s DealBook Summit. Photo via Getty.
Creator Economy

Alex Cooper’s Trump Call; Influencer Marketing M&A

By Kaya Yurieff · Dec 4, 2024 2:23pm PST
Alex Cooper’s popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast was one of a handful to host Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris in the run-up to November’s election. But she could have hosted both candidates. Donald Trump’s campaign reached out about appearing on the show, Cooper said on stage at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday. ... Alex Cooper’s popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast was one of a handful to host Democratic...