YouTube is in talks to offer select creators millions in payments if they keep their videos exclusively on its platform for a set period, two people familiar with its efforts told Business Insider. The move is a direct shot at Netflix, which has been ramping up its licensing of creator videos for its platform. Bloomberg’s
Investors are hunting for social media startups that can spark new connections and nurture existing ones. “Social media companies started based on connection,” Shawn Carolan, a partner at Menlo Ventures, said of the previous wave of giants like Facebook and Instagram. Carolan said these companies “evolved into media companies” and abandoned that connection. That leaves
Patreon, a platform for creators that pays for their content, is laying off staff. In a publicly shared note addressed to Patreon content creators, CEO Jack Conte announced that the creator economy startup is laying off 93 employees, roughly 20% of its workforce. Conte said in the memo to employees that “the market in which
MrBeast’s sugar rush is fading. The growth of the YouTuber’s main candy company, Feastables, has slowed considerably in the last year, according to internal data seen by Business Insider. U.S. sales volume grew 13% year over year in 2025, following a 33% jump the year before, according to a May 2026 presentation. The company sold
