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

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.

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 adsStratechery 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.


SPONSOR:  Entrepreneur creator Ashley Alexander (@aaashleyk) has launched Nami Matcha! In partnership with Whalar Group’s creator venture studio Moby Ventures, Nami Matcha is inspired by Ashley’s love for matcha as frequently shared in her content.  Join the matcha revolution that everyone is talking about:  https://namimatcha.com/.  It’s good stuff!


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I’ve built and sold multiple creator economy startups to top media companies – including Discovery and Paramount. Subscribe here on LinkedIn to get this newsletter every Monday.

Let me know what you think – email me at jim@louderback.com. Thanks for reading and see you around the internet. 

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