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Kaya Yurieff at The Information's Future of Influence event in June. Photo by Erin Beach
Creator Economy

Thank You—And What’s Next for The Creator Economy

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 28, 2025 2:14pm PDT · 3 comments
We are kicking off today’s newsletter with some news—this time about me. I’m wrapping up my time at The Information and this will be my last Creator Economy newsletter.It’s been such a privilege to write this newsletter, host five summits and break news about the creator economy and social media over the past four and a half years. I wanted to... We are kicking off today’s newsletter with some news—this time about me. I’m wrapping up my time...
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...
Trey Ogilvie and Conduit Commerce employees Rohan Shah, Anand Prabhu and Rahul Sinha (left to right).
One E-Commerce Startup Makes a Bet on TikTok Shop
By Ann Gehan · Aug 21, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Trey Ogilvie and Conduit Commerce employees Rohan Shah, Anand Prabhu and Rahul Sinha (left to right).
Creator Economy

One E-Commerce Startup Makes a Bet on TikTok Shop

By Ann Gehan · Aug 21, 2025 2:00pm PDT
TikTok Shop, the short-form video app’s e-commerce platform, made a big splash nearly two years ago when it first launched in the U.S. Even though it’s reduced the initial deep discounts for shoppers and sellers, quieting some of the initial buzz over the service, some startups are still betting TikTok’s social shopping features will grow.One is... TikTok Shop, the short-form video app’s e-commerce platform, made a big splash nearly two years...
Bella Freud, the creator of the “Fashion Neurosis” video podcast. Photo courtesy of Vox Media
Creator Economy

Vox Media Inks Partnership with Bella Freud’s Podcast

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 20, 2025 2:09pm PDT
Every episode of Bella Freud’s video podcast begins the same way: A doorbell rings, and she welcomes a guest—ranging from supermodel Kate Moss to designer Christian Louboutin—to lay down on a couch in her London home.  A camera attached to the couch captures a flattering angle of the person’s face from above. The setup is a... Every episode of Bella Freud’s video podcast begins the same way: A doorbell rings, and she...
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...
Chart by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Why Payouts Keep Rising at Online Course Provider Kajabi

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 14, 2025 2:22pm PDT
Kajabi, a 15-year-old software service best known for selling online courses, supercharged sales a few years ago when—armed with a big check from Tiger Global Management—it started heavily marketing itself to creators, who pay a monthly fee to host courses and sell other digital goods, such as newsletters, podcasts, coaching and memberships.The... Kajabi, a 15-year-old software service best known for selling online courses, supercharged sales...
Jonathan Katz-Moses, a woodworking creator, recently raised venture funding. Photo courtesy of subject
The Woodworking Creator Who Raised $2 Million
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 13, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Jonathan Katz-Moses, a woodworking creator, recently raised venture funding. Photo courtesy of subject
Creator Economy

The Woodworking Creator Who Raised $2 Million

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 13, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Jonathan Katz-Moses, a woodworking creator with nearly 600,000 YouTube subscribers, is an example of how the creator economy is evolving: creators are growing online followings with super niche content while running booming offline businesses. The 43-year-old creator posts educational woodworking videos on YouTube, but also is the founder... Jonathan Katz-Moses, a woodworking creator with nearly 600,000 YouTube subscribers, is an example...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Who Will Run a U.S. TikTok?

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Kaya Yurieff · Aug 12, 2025 2:00pm PDT
If TikTok does eventually sell its U.S. business, who is going to lead the new company?That’s a question we’ve been mulling as TikTok nears the September 17 deadline for a law to go into effect that will ban the video app in the U.S. unless it breaks off from its Chinese parent company. And now we have a little more insight into the possible... If TikTok does eventually sell its U.S. business, who is going to lead the new company?That’s a...
Sasha Kaletsky, managing partner at Creator Ventures.
Creator Economy

The Bull Case for Snap

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 7, 2025 2:06pm PDT · 1 comment
Snap’s stock plunged this week after reporting lackluster second-quarter results. But some investors still see reasons to be bullish about the company.Sasha Kaletsky, managing partner of early-stage venture firm Creator Ventures, said the Snapchat parent company has invested “incredibly aggressively” in Spotlight, its TikTok competitor, which... Snap’s stock plunged this week after reporting lackluster second-quarter results. But some...
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
Snap’s Ad Slowdown Overshadows Video Gains
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 5, 2025 3:31pm PDT
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...
Adam Presser. Photo by Getty
Creator Economy

TikTok Leadership Shake-Up Lifts Presser’s Role

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Jul 31, 2025 3:00pm PDT
As TikTok nears another deadline to sell its U.S. business, the company is shaking up some of its senior roles. In a note to staff Thursday, which The Information reviewed, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said that Adam Presser, TikTok’s head of operations and trust & safety, will become head of USDS—a unit the company created to secure U.S.... As TikTok nears another deadline to sell its U.S. business, the company is shaking up some of its...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Meta Says AI Is Boosting Social Engagement

By Kalley Huang and Kaya Yurieff · Jul 30, 2025 4:37pm PDT
Artificial intelligence was the star of Meta Platforms’ second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Meta’s long-term path to making money from AI is fuzzy. But right now, some of the most material benefits from Meta’s investments in AI are improvements to “ranking,” or how the company shows users relevant content on its social media apps.... Artificial intelligence was the star of Meta Platforms’ second-quarter earnings call on...
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 via Getty
TikTok’s Canada Problem
By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 24, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Canada Problem

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 24, 2025 2:00pm PDT
As TikTok’s future in the U.S. continues to be in limbo, the company is trying to quell a different regulatory threat north of the border.In November, the Canadian government told TikTok to wind down its operations in the country due to national security concerns, but curiously has allowed the app to remain available to the 14 million users in... As TikTok’s future in the U.S. continues to be in limbo, the company is trying to quell a...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

YouTube Makes Strong Start to Social Media Earnings

By Erin Woo and Kaya Yurieff · Jul 23, 2025 4:14pm PDT
Alphabet kicked off earnings season for social media companies with good news from YouTube: the video juggernaut’s advertising revenue rose 13% year over year in the second quarter, beating its growth rate in the first quarter and calming fears that President Trump’s tariffs would be a headwind for social media revenues. Another positive... Alphabet kicked off earnings season for social media companies with good news from YouTube: the...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel at The Information's Future of Influence event in June. Photo by Erin Beach
Creator Economy

What to Expect from Meta, Snap, YouTube Earnings

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 22, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Earlier this year, uncertainty stemming from the Trump administration’s tariffs seemed poised to hurt advertising demand. But those worries seem to have faded during the second quarter as President Trump postponed tariff deadlines. In fact, ad spending growth accelerated for Meta Platforms, YouTube, Google’s paid search advertising and... Earlier this year, uncertainty stemming from the Trump administration’s tariffs seemed poised to...
Photo via Getty
Creator Economy

Netflix’s Podcasting Challenge

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 17, 2025 3:46pm PDT
Earlier this year, Netflix made headlines and stirred excitement among talent agents when co-CEO Ted Sarandos said video podcasts would likely start showing up on the streaming giant. Sarandos had framed the development as inevitable for Netflix, given the growing popularity of talk-show-like programming and the blurring lines between talk... Earlier this year, Netflix made headlines and stirred excitement among talent agents when co-CEO...
Lowe's CMO Jennifer Wilson. Photo: Lowe's
Lowe’s Bets Big on DIY Influencers
By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 16, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Lowe's CMO Jennifer Wilson. Photo: Lowe's
Creator Economy

Lowe’s Bets Big on DIY Influencers

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 16, 2025 2:00pm PDT
Major retailers that traditionally spent a lot of their advertising budgets on TV have been leaning into working more with creators. One of the latest examples is home improvement giant Lowe’s, which is making a big push to team up with handy influencers. Through a “home improvement creator network” launched last month, Lowe’s is setting up... Major retailers that traditionally spent a lot of their advertising budgets on TV have been ...