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Art by Clark Miller

Armed With AI, Small Businesses Also Challenge Hollywood

By Andrew A. Rosen · Nov 26, 2024 9:00am PST

Don Allen Stevenson III is a former trainer for Dreamworks Animation who uses artificial intelligence tools to create videos for his 124,000 followers on Instagram, where he goes by Don Allen III. Stevenson uses the videos to showcase how he uses AI tools. In one recent video, he used 3D animation software called Cinema 4D to build an animated... Don Allen Stevenson III is a former trainer for Dreamworks Animation who uses artificial...

Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz. Photo via Getty.

Creator Economy

Trump’s AG Pick Is a Hail Mary for TikTok

By Kaya Yurieff · Nov 13, 2024 2:49pm PST

The new Trump administration is shaping up to be quite friendly to TikTok and its hopes of survival in the U.S. The latest development: President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday announced he wants to appoint Republican representative Matt Gaetz from Florida as his attorney general. The new Trump administration is shaping up to be quite friendly to TikTok and its hopes of...

Hulu's “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” centers on a group of eight Mormon moms who have found viral TikTok fame. Photo via YouTube/Hulu

Creator Economy

The Talent Managers Who Brought TikTok’s ‘Mormon Moms’ to Hulu

By Kaya Yurieff · Sep 24, 2024 3:01pm PDT

I’ve been binging Hulu’s new reality TV series, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which follows the lives of eight young TikTok-famous Mormon moms who get caught up in a scandal where some of them hooked up with each other’s husbands.Even though that drama played out in real time on TikTok two years ago, the show has become a huge hit. Hulu... I’ve been binging Hulu’s new reality TV series, “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which follows...

Group14 Technologies' anode powder plant in Sangju, South Korea, a joint venture with SK On. Photo: Courtesy Group14.

The Electric: With a $3 Billion Bet, the U.S. Strikes at the Heart of China’s EV Empire

By Steve LeVine · Sep 23, 2024 4:30am PDT

Group14 Technologies' anode powder plant in Sangju, South Korea, a joint venture with SK On. Photo: Courtesy Group14.

The Electric: With a $3 Billion Bet, the U.S. Strikes at the Heart of China’s EV Empire

By Steve LeVine · Sep 23, 2024 4:30am PDT

Chinese companies dominate the market for electric vehicle batteries and the supply chain behind them. But U.S. companies hold their own in one segment: high-silicon electrodes, which add significant driving range and charging speed. Chinese companies dominate the market for electric vehicle batteries and the supply chain behind...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel. Photo by Snap.

Creator Economy

Snap Tries for a Streamlined App—With a Lot of Features

By Erin Woo · Sep 17, 2024 3:26pm PDT

Snapchat, launched more than a decade ago, has been showing its wear. The app is a jumble of features, from TikTok-like videos (Spotlight) to Maps to its flagship disappearing Stories. With a major redesign unveiled Tuesday, it’s attempting to streamline the way its 850 million monthly users interact with the photo messaging app. Many may... Snapchat, launched more than a decade ago, has been showing its wear. The app is a jumble of...

Photo by Bloomberg via Getty

Creator Economy

Stripe Likes Creators—as Long as They’re SFW

By Laura Mandaro · Sep 12, 2024 2:21pm PDT

For creators, getting paid comes a close second in importance to reaching fans. But we don’t often get an inside look at how the payments—from tips to subscriptions—happen. That’s why our colleague Michael Roddan’s reporting on Stripe earlier this week is a must read. Fintech companies like Stripe have leaned into a surge in online payments... For creators, getting paid comes a close second in importance to reaching fans. But we don’t...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Photos via Getty/Shutterstock.

OpenAI Shows ‘Strawberry’ AI to the Feds and Uses It to Develop ‘Orion’

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Aug 27, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

In case you were wondering why Sam Altman cryptically posted a picture of strawberries earlier this month, the answer almost certainly has to do with Strawberry, a mysterious technical breakthrough that could help OpenAI’s models complete complex tasks such as math problems that conversational AI has traditionally struggled with. (If this sounds... In case you were wondering why Sam Altman cryptically posted a picture of strawberries earlier...

Influencer Deja Foxx spoke at the DNC on Monday. Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty.

The DNC’s Creator Play

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 20, 2024 2:18pm PDT

Influencer Deja Foxx spoke at the DNC on Monday. Photo by Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty.

Creator Economy

The DNC’s Creator Play

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 20, 2024 2:18pm PDT

Democrats are trying to one up Republicans when it comes to creators this election cycle. The Democratic National Convention invited more than 200 influencers to the nearly weeklong event, which kicked off on Monday in Chicago. That’s double the number invited to the Republican National Convention last month. It’s the first time either... Democrats are trying to one up Republicans when it comes to creators this election cycle. The ...

Photo by Sportsfile via Getty

Creator Economy

How TikTok Can Stay on the Right Side of Regulators

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 13, 2024 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment

On Friday, I published a story about TikTok’s latest efforts to get more users on the app as third-party data shows a sharp slowdown in user growth from pandemic highs. In the U.S., TikTok users for a limited time can get steeply discounted goods, such as makeup and electronics, for just one cent when they invite new friends to the app.... On Friday, I published a story about TikTok’s latest efforts to get more users on the app as...

Art by Clark Miller

Weekend Welcomes Two New Reporters: Josh Koehn and Paris Martineau

By The Information · Aug 10, 2024 7:24am PDT · 1 comment

Nothing livens up a weekend like change, and I’m very pleased to tell you about some changes here at Weekend, The Information’s weekly magazine section: We’ve added two new reporters, Josh Koehn and Paris Martineau. Josh joins us from The San Francisco Standard to cover tech’s power and influence in San Francisco and the... Nothing livens up a weekend like change, and I’m very pleased to tell you about some...

Art by Clark Miller

The Board Games That Techies Can’t Stop Playing

By David Ewalt · Aug 10, 2024 6:00am PDT · 6 comments

Matt Calkins sees a parallel between the best board games and the best software. “What I like is efficiency, the simultaneous utilization of the time of everyone at the table,” said Calkins, founder and CEO of Appian, an enterprise software company. “I like a game with high throughput.” Calkins is the author of several... Matt Calkins sees a parallel between the best board games and the best software. “What I...

Photo via AP

Snap Adds to Chilly Advertising Outlook

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 1, 2024 3:31pm PDT

Photo via AP

Creator Economy

Snap Adds to Chilly Advertising Outlook

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 1, 2024 3:31pm PDT

Selling online ads is great if you’re Meta Platforms. For the rest, it’s increasingly blah. Snap joined a parade of internet companies to warn digital advertising growth was cooling, catching Wall Street by surprise. The news took 20% off the price of Snap shares in after-hours trading Thursday. The parent of Snapchat said it expects... Selling online ads is great if you’re Meta Platforms. For the rest, it’s increasingly blah. ...

Art by Clark Miller. Maezawa via Getty Images

Behind the Demise of a Quirky Billionaire’s SpaceX Moon Mission

By Becky Peterson · Jun 28, 2024 6:00am PDT

Yusaku Maezawa had just a few requests for SpaceX. In 2018, the Japanese e-commerce billionaire had agreed to pay SpaceX to fly himself and a crew of eight artists around the moon for a first-of-its-kind project called dearMoon. As part of the deal, Maezawa asked SpaceX to customize the interior of the crew capsule of Starship, the 400-foot-tall... Yusaku Maezawa had just a few requests for SpaceX. In 2018, the Japanese e-commerce billionaire...

VidCon 2024 in Anaheim, Calif. Photo by Kaya Yurieff.

Creator Economy

TikTok Pushes Long Video at VidCon; Webtoon’s IPO

By Kaya Yurieff and Julia Hornstein · Jun 27, 2024 3:08pm PDT

I’m at VidCon, where the Anaheim Convention Center is bustling and the mood is upbeat, even though it feels like brands and social apps shelled out less money for splashy pop up experiences and lounges than in the past. The displays did underscore how the creator economy is maturing, as more big brands get behind influencers. Fanta... I’m at VidCon, where the Anaheim Convention Center is bustling and the mood is upbeat, even...

Creators on stage at VidCon 2023. Photo by Unique Nicole/Getty Images.

Creator Economy

What to Expect at VidCon

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 25, 2024 2:00pm PDT

I’m in Los Angeles this week ahead of VidCon, the annual conference focused on creators. The organizers of the event, which last year drew 55,000 people, expect the biggest theme this year to be the creator economy’s “coming of age.” After the boom in venture funding for startups and hype around the sector dissipated, investments have ... I’m in Los Angeles this week ahead of VidCon, the annual conference focused on creators. The...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Illustration by Clark Miller; Huang photos via Getty Images.

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Is on Top of the World. So Why Is He Worried?

By Anissa Gardizy and Qianer Liu · Jun 18, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Illustration by Clark Miller; Huang photos via Getty Images.

Nvidia’s Jensen Huang Is on Top of the World. So Why Is He Worried?

By Anissa Gardizy and Qianer Liu · Jun 18, 2024 6:00am PDT · 2 comments

Around Christmas last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called a series of meetings with company executives to discuss a growing concern: whether Nvidia’s biggest customers were going to run out of data center space to install its artificial intelligence chips, which could hurt sales, according to someone who attended the meetings. Huang told... Around Christmas last year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called a series of meetings with company...

Sherry Wong, founder and CEO of Roster. Photo via Branded

Creator Economy

A YouTuber Launches a Job Site for Creator Work

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 12, 2024 2:00pm PDT

Hiring is a perennial headache for creators. Most rely on recommendations from other creators or use their own social media accounts to spread the word. Complicating matters is that often they’re looking for short-term help or people with a specific skill set, such as experts in YouTube thumbnail design.Roster, a hiring website that officially... Hiring is a perennial headache for creators. Most rely on recommendations from other creators or...

Ryan Serhant on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen." Photo by Bravo via Getty Images.

Creator Economy

How a NY Broker Built a Business on Reality TV Fame

By Kaya Yurieff · Jun 5, 2024 2:16pm PDT

When real estate broker Ryan Serhant appeared on Bravo’s reality TV series “Million Dollar Listing New York” in 2012, he got an instant taste of fame. “The next day, I was walking around New York City and I was stopped 10 times on the street,” Serhant recalled in a recent interview. “Just being on TV at the height of cable TV was enough. When real estate broker Ryan Serhant appeared on Bravo’s reality TV series “Million Dollar...

Art by Mike Sullivan/Midjourney

More Startups Seek Buyers But Price is a Problem; Nvidia’s Eternal Sunshine

By Amir Efrati · May 23, 2024 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Conversational artificial intelligence startups are singing the acquisition blues. As Natasha and I reported on Wednesday, Adept, which raised more than $400 million from investors at a $1 billion-plus valuation to develop artificial intelligence agents, has been exploring a buyout, including from Meta Platforms. A Meta deal is unlikely, though.... Conversational artificial intelligence startups are singing the acquisition blues. As Natasha and...