Creatorverse: YouTube Is Making an Aggressive Bid to Be Creator Home Base
Hey Creatorverse readers,
When it comes to social media platforms, no one celebrates creators like YouTube. But during this year’s Made on YouTube event on Tuesday in New York, the company really put its development money where its mouth is, further cementing its status as the go-to home for creators.
The platform announced more than 30 new tools for creators. Some of these tools, like the implementation of Veo 3 for Shorts, felt like a move to get more people familiar with Google’s AI model. But most of them seemed as though they were specifically designed to make the YouTube editing process easier and optimize creators’ profits.
Some of the biggest game changers for creators are:
- Dynamic ads, which will let creators remove a sponsorship once a deal is complete and resell the slot to another brand.
- A/B testing for YouTube titles.
- Auto timestamps for product tags, which will use AI to tag eligible items mentioned in videos.
- AI editing tools for both YouTube and Shorts.
- A likeness detection tool that uses AI to let monetized creators know when their content is being used without their approval.
- Ask Studio.
That last one could be a massive disrupter. With Ask Studio, creators can talk to YouTube’s AI chatbot about their channels, asking it to pull analytics about their viewers’ average watch time, drop off points and more.
Even the event’s Q-and-A section felt like a flex. When asked by Molly Burke (2 million subscribers on YouTube), a blind content creator, if the platform will be implementing AI to expand its audio descriptions, CEO Neal Mohan said, “I think that the technology allows for us to be able to build those types of capabilities. So that’s a wonderful idea.”
The fact that many of these newly announced tools were previously pitched by creators proves that YouTube isn’t just blindly developing; the company is listening to creators. It all begs the question: If YouTube has all these tools specifically designed to make creators’ lives easier and if it’s putting in the time to actually listen to creator concerns, why would your digital home base be anywhere else?
Already when I talk to creators about platform prioritization and diversification, they point to YouTube as the company that provides them with the most support and financial consistency. With all of these new tools, that high opinion among creators is likely only going to soar. Everyone else, watch out. YouTube is making an aggressive bid for the future of entertainment, and it’s doing so by enabling creators the most.
Now onto the rest.
Kayla Cobb
Senior Reporter
kayla.cobb@thewrap.com
What’s New
TikTok gets another extension
But this time the end may actually be in sight. The fourth (!!!) deadline for TikTok to either be banned in the United States or be sold to U.S. investors is set for Dec. 16. However, on Tuesday the Wall Street Journal reported that an investor consortium that includes Oracle, Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz is seriously considering buying the app. Trump has also made promising statements to reporters, so maybe this saga will finally come to an end.
Webtoon gets a massive boost thanks to Disney
Following the news that Disney plans to acquire a 2% equity interest in the creator-focused comics platform, stock in Webtoon rose as much as 90% to $28 per share. This investment would increase the partnership between the two companies, making Webtoon the home of Disney’s comic assets. And since Disney owns Marvel, that could be massive.
Speaking of Webtoon, “Covenant once given” is the official winner of the company’s 2025 Webcomic Legends competition and the winner of its $150,000 grand prize. Read all about how these contests are helping indie artists achieve their dreams.
In recent years, Webtoon has served as a pipeline for several hit anime shows like “Solo Leveling.” Disney’s interest in this area is timely given the theatrical success of “Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle” this past weekend.
Discord, Reddit, Twitch and Valve CEOs are being called into Congress after Charlie Kirk’s murder
The CEOs of Discord, Reddit, Twitch and Valve are being asked to testify about the “radicalization of online forum users.” The committee hearing will take place on Oct. 8, and the goal is to prevent future violence after Kirk’s assassination. As more details come out about Kirk’s shooter, it seems he was part of some pretty dark corners of the internet.
Platform Updates
Fortnite creators will soon be able to sell in-game items
Starting in December, creators of the massively popular online game will be able to sell items directly from the islands they’ve built. Fortnite will launch tools later on that will allow this. To promote this update, the game will be upping the value of its V-bucks. Typically, creators earn 50% of the value of the in-game currency. But from December throughout 2026, creators will earn 100% (for those not on Fortnite, 100 V-bucks translates to about $0.80). This all seems to be part of Fortnite’s strategy to invest more in creators.
Snap unveils new operating system tied to 5th generation of Snap Spectacles
Snap OS 2.0 will include a faster browser as well as a new home screen with widgets and bookmarks and an updated toolbar. Snap Spectacle users will be able to speak or type a website URL, refresh a page, look at their history and resize windows. This update comes as the battle over wearables heats up with Meta aggressively pushing its smart glass lineup with partners like Ray-Ban.
Google’s Discover page will let you follow specific publishers and creators
That’s a big deal considering that Google is still the king of search. Users will now be able to follow certain creators or publications, which ensures that more content from those sources will appear first on search results.
Speaking of Google, do you know who’s feuding with the platform right now? Reddit. The self-described heart of the internet wants more users and money from Google in exchange for Google using Reddit’s data to feed its AI algorithm. This is according to a Bloomberg report, which dove into the next content-sharing agreement between the two companies.
Movers and Shakers
Buzzfeed hosts a YouTube reunion
Want to feel old? Buzzfeed, a company that developed the blueprints for many modern creators and influencers, hosted a 10-year reunion livestream. Check it out to see cameos from people like Kelsey Impicciche, Amanda Castrillo and more.
Kai Cenat is now the second most-followed streamer on Twitch
Cenat took over Ninja’s spot, the video game streamer who has held onto the slot for quite some time. He hit the milestone during his third and final Mafiathon. The No. 1 Twitch streamer remains the esports commentator Ibai.
Charli and Dixie D’Amelio launch a Roblox game
Say hello to “Dress Up BFF,” a dress-up game that features characters from their “Squeaky & Roy” animated franchise. “Dress Up BFF” is debuting during a controversial time for Roblox, which is facing multiple lawsuits about safety regulations for children.
Who to Watch
DUST
Life is weird and surreal right now, so why not dive into some sci-fi? DUST (nearly 3.7 million YouTube subscribers) offers a curated collection of sci-fi shorts. The channel alongside its horror sibling ALTER (nearly 3.7 million YouTube subscribers) have been showcasing experimental films from indie artists for the past six years. It’s like David Fincher’s “Love, Death and Robots” but far more robust.
Try to escape our current madness by diving into theirs. In the age of AI, might I suggest “Best Friend“ by Nicholas Olivieri, Shen Yi, Juliana De Lucca, Varun Nair and David Feliu?
Bonus Content
- Global Politics Happens on Discord Now (via Garbage Day)
- Charlie Kirk and Tyler Robinson Came from the Same Warped Online Worlds (via The New Yorker)
- OpenAI’s Teen Safety Features Will Walk a Thin Line (via Wired)
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This report provides a weekly deep dive into the creator economy. It highlights key trends, political and technological developments, data points and industry leaders all with the goal of making you smarter about this constantly evolving space.
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