RIP Susan Wojcicki

Hi, I’m Jim Louderback and this is my weekly creator economy newsletter.  If you’ve received it, then you are either subscribed or someone forwarded it to you.

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RIP SUSAN WOJCICKI

No one did more for the creator economy than former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki.  The news of her passing rippled like a tidal wave through VidCon Mexico on Saturday – along with the rest of the world - as the industry attendees paused, reflected and celebrated the life and impact of this amazing exec and human being.  So sad, and a reminder that no matter where you are, life is short – live your best each day.  The YouTube blog featured Neal Mohan’s message, while so many somber but eloquent remembrances poured out on LinkedIn, X, Threads and beyond Saturday.

LOGAN PAUL’S LEGAL TROUBLES EXPAND

Two new suits were filed against Logan Paul’s Prime Hydration brand.  And Paul himself filed a lawsuit against Coffeezilla that’s casting a chill shadow across the creator economy.  First up, the lawsuit-happy US Olympic committee says Prime used trademarked phrases, including “Olympic” and “Going for Gold” on its product packaging.  Then Prime’s bottle supplier sued for breach of contract, claiming the energy drink company failed to order the required number of bottles.  Logan Paul has also proved litigious, hiring top-notch lawyers to go after Coffeezilla for defamation.  This one’s particularly heinous, as it both serves to quiet the investigative YouTuber, along with dampening other journalist/creators from shedding a light on nefarious deeds.   Creator lawyer Tyler Chou explains the case, and also encourages creators to include defamation coverage in their Errors and Omissions insurance.

X SAYS BRANDS SHOULD BE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO BUY ITS ADS 

Another frivolous lawsuit. X files a lawsuit against advertisers and the “Global Alliance for Responsible Media” saying they violated anti-trust laws for pulling advertising off the platform, claiming censorship of conservative voices.  X CEO Linda Yaccarino’s cringey video and open letter show how she’s come full circle – from selling things people want to using lawsuits to compel brands to buy her crap. GARM buckles under the pressure and decides to disband in worrying development.  And I thought advertisers were free to spend money wherever they wanted?     

GOOGLE HAS AN ILLEGAL MONOPOLY ON SEARCH

We all knew Google had a monopoly but turns out that it’s illegal – at least here in the US.  Hinging on how Google paid billions to become the default search engine on Android and Apple phones, Google claimed that their tech was so superior that the monopoly was legal.  The federal judge, though, wondered why, then, did they need to pay so much for top billing.  The key for the creator economy?  The pound (or ton) of flesh to be carved out as a remedy.  Unlikely they’ll have to spin off YouTube – but perhaps they’ll have to divest their ad business or Android?  SEO Moz thinks it’ll mostly impact paid search ads.  Stratechery leans into the historical context and his view of the best remedy.  We’ll know relatively soon, but appeals will likely drag out for a while.  Whatever happens, a weaker Google will put more pressure on YouTube to increase revenue and profits quickly.

ONE METRIC TO BIND THEM ALL!  

Instagram will now focus on the “VIEW” as the key metric for video, photos, carousels, live and stories.  A view is counted when a Reel starts playing – or repeating, and when an image shows up on a user’s screen.  A source at Instagram said the change will help creators really understand what’s happening, as all the different terms were often hard to sort out.  A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it sounds like a video and a picture are valued the same.  Consistent metrics are important, for sure, but if they’re valued equally, I’ll be doing more photos and carousels and less videos.  Also seems like the concept of engagement has been devalued, as the VIEW will be the new hero.

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QUIBIS:    

YOUTUBE

• YouTube beta testing a “notes” for content feature similar to Twitter’s Community Notes.

• YouTube also testing picture in picture mid-rolls for live-streams – mentioned at the bottom of the linked post.  

• What were they thinking?  Meta and Google partnered to target Instagram ads to kids on YouTube in violation of their own policies – and common sense as well.

• YouTube held a Brandcast in India.  Sounded like a fun event.  CEO Mohan’s opening remarks are here.

META

• More than half of Instagram recommendations come from original posts.  Moving in the right direction, but I’d like to see it be closer to 80%, personally. H/T @lindsey gamble

• Instagram testing a copy of Snap’s Map feature in select markets. They are “building this feature with safety in mind”.  Yeah, right.

• Here comes traffic school for Facebook Jail.

•  Facebook now pays for AI-generated slop from third world countries.

   

 TIKTOK

• TikTok launches a “What's Next 2024: Shopping Trend Report” to help brands sell stuff. In a time where TikTok’s addictive algorithms are under fire, leading with a section called “Bending Emotions” might not have been the best idea.  Download the full report here.

• TikTok wants more movies and TV ad revenue, releases a new “spotlight” ad feature.

• Bowing to EU pressure, TikTok removed its feature rewarding in-app engagement.

• Sell, Sell, Sell! Amazon partners with TikTok and Pinterest to let buyers buy directly from the social sites – rather than clicking out.  Check out DoubleT’s official comments on how “native checkout” will work.

OTHER CREATOR ECONOMY

• Must read post from @Doug Shapiro, where he says YouTube is over 11% of TV viewing and social/online video makes up 25% of all video consumption. Then he explains why the traditional film and TV industrial complex is well and truly screwed

• Fans and followers want more empathy from their favorite creators and want them to take a stand when disaster strikes.  

• Anyone can “sponsor” (aka Boost) LinkedIn newsletters  via LI’s Campaign Manager.

• Maybe Kai Cenat needs to stop livestreaming in public spaces.  Perhaps his new “KC Fest” will be the answer – hope security is well thought-out.

• TikTok dancer accuses JoJo Siwa of stealing her moves.

• Events powerhouse Informa buys Cannes Lion conference owner Ascential.  I wonder if this means a renewed push into influencer marketing events.

• Bow Wow Meow!  PetCon is coming back to LA in December- meet your favorite furry influencers in person!

• OpenAI invests $60M into webcam company backed in part by Casey Neistat, Marques Brownlee and the D’Amelios.  Presumably more AI-oriented devices are on the way.

   

BEAST WATCH

• Amanda Perelli continues to track the Mr Beast story, revealing some concern bubbling up from Amazon around Beast Games.

• Ludwig publicly cuts ties with MrBeast and calls for meaningful changes in his company.

• Leaked internal email verified as real by the AP: Jimmy Donaldson calls for internal investigations and assessments, plans to hire yet another C-level exec to run HR.  

• Rosanna Pansino weighs in on the Beast Games controversy.

• Jimmy Donaldson’s ex girlfriends’ latest posts are being analyzed for clues.  

• @Tyler Chou explores the legal ramifications of the latest developments on her YouTube channel.

• Looks like MrBeast hired famed crisis PR expert Matthew Hiltzik, according to a BI story focused on Amazon’s reaction to the crisis ($).

• Rumor: VidSummit part owner Jimmy Donaldson will skip VidSummit this year.

   

CREATOR TECH – AI, WEB3, VR, MORE

• Roblox banned in Turkey.

• Interesting new headset will use ultrasound to alter brain state.  The creator economy angle?  Imagine creating specific content for the generated brain-spaces.  And maybe it would help with creator burn-out and mental health too.

• YouTuber sues OpenAI for “non-consensual transcription” of his videos.

• Flux is the latest darling for AI generated images – and the open-sourced version can be downloaded to run on a (relatively beefy) local PC.  Otherwise give it a try for free on NightCafe or Poe.  The AI generated images of people are stunningly real.

• Creators help sell Beetlejuice movie tickets on Roblox – a sentence that I never thought I’d write.  You can check it out here.

• Sam Altman teases the world about “Strawberry” – while most of us would just rather have an AI that didn’t make as many mistakes.

   

RESEARCH

• Creator Economy Jobs releases an in-depth look at hiring across the industry – and found that open jobs are up 66% over last quarter – although remote job listings are down.

100% written by me – no human or AI ghostwriters were involved in the production (except for the cover art!).

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