TOGETHER WITH

It’s Tuesday and while TikTok users endured a weekend of whiplash, X and Bluesky took advantage of the hoopla by launching their own vertical video feeds.

Today’s News

REMEMBERING A LEGEND

As the internet mourns filmmaker David Lynch, fans remember his YouTube weather reports

The director: In the wake of David Lynch’s passing, YouTube viewers are paying homage to one of his most beloved art forms: weather reports. While the director was best known for projects like Twin Peaks, Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive, Lynch also had the distinction of being one of the first Hollywood elites to embrace online video.

He first began posting video weather reports in 2005 on his now-defunct website, DavidLynch.com, before going on to launch his own members-only website in 2008—years before Patreon came to fruition. There, people could pay $9.97/month to access a 2006 video diary of Lynch’s time at the Cannes film festival, episodes of his animated comedy series Dumbland, and directorial experiments like Coyote #1 (in which the titular canid sniffs around an empty living room). You could also buy his signature David Lynch-branded coffee and watch David Lynch-directed coffee commercials.

The art form: Lynch’s weather reports caught the internet’s attention just over a decade later, when he began posting them daily to his YouTube channel, DAVID LYNCH THEATER, during COVID lockdowns. Those videos always featured the director in sunglasses, talking about Los Angeles’ skies and giving little glimpses into his life. They were often reposted same-day by fans to Twitter and TikTok.

Lynch’s daily weather reports earned him over 400,000 subscribers and 26 million views by the time he stopped posting at the end of 2022. Three years laters, fans are memorializing him by sharing their favorite reports—including the very last one, which opens with Lynch cheerfully shaking the camera and ends with him letting viewers know the weather will be “partly cloudy all along the way.”

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• Elon Musk is beefing with Asmongold, a creator who filmed a reaction video that casts doubt on the X owner’s gaming abilities. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• In addition to signing an executive order to extend the deadline on a TikTok ban, President Trump has proposed that the U.S. government take 50% ownership of the platform. (The Verge)
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• Instagram head Adam Mosseri has announced the launch of a CapCut rival called “Edits,” which will allow creators to edit videos on mobile. (The Verge)
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• X, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have all signed a voluntary pledge put forward by the EU to help combat online hate. (U.S. News & World Report)

LOVE OF THE GAME

Ludwig and Moist Cr1TiKaL are now co-owners of Shopify’s esports org

The announcement: A merger between Shopify’s in-house esports org, Shopify Rebellion, and Moist Esports will see Ludwig and Moist Cr1TiKaL become co-owners of the former operation. The creators—whose real names are Charlie White and Ludwig Ahgren—announced their team-up in a flashy video that reimagines the two parties as anime characters .

The context: The formation of the new-and-improved Shopify Rebellion comes amid growing tensions about the unprofitability of esports—an ongoing issue White acknowledged in a video posted to his YouTube channel. The creator admitted that esports is a “worse investment than Hawk Tuah coin,” and noted that Moist Esports (which brought Ahgren on board as a Co-Owner in 2023) has lost approximately $4.2 million over the past four years.

So, why is Moist Esports “fully merging with Shopify Rebellion” if the industry is in such bad shape? White said the merger is happening “for the love of the game”—but it’s not all about good vibes. Instead, the combination of two deep-rostered lineups will allow Moist Esports to compete in games like League of Legends and Dota 2.

The company already merged its Valorant team with Shopify Rebellion’s last year to become more competitive in the first-person shooter. According to White, Shopify’s esports org also let Moist Esports use its facilities in Canada when the latter firm’s Apex Legends team needed assistance due to complications with its visa approvals in the United States.

That level of cooperation will help the new Shopify Rebellion stay afloat in the volatile world of esports. Recent examples of consolidation—such as GameSquare’s merger with FaZe Clan—show that gaming organizations that are willing to pool resources might just be able to offset the financial losses White described in his announcement video.

HAVE YOU HEARD?

Have you heard? The Dream SMP stars are fighting and Bob Dylan is a little late to join TikTok.

The column: Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry. This week, creators are feuding on YouTube, learning Mandarin, and getting absolutely roasted by #BookTok.

Creator controversy: TommyInnit called out Dream in a video that accused the gamer of being “awful” to him “four years ago.” The titular figure behind the influential Minecraft server Dream SMP replied with a childish denial that suggests TommyInnit’s accusations of immaturity aren’t far off.

Dream isn’t the only creator hitting back against allegations of bad behavior. Mizkif has announced that a defamation lawsuit against him—which claimed he covered up sexual assault—has been dismissed by the court.

TikTok talk: Bob Dylan trolled the internet by joining TikTok just a few days before the U.S. ban was set to go into effect. Luckily for fans, it seems like the legendary singer’s TikTok days aren’t over just yet.

Kallmekris, at least, benefited from the brief respite of TikTok’s short-lived hiatus. The comedian experienced the collective fury of the #BookTok community firsthand last week after stating that some fictional faves lack substance. The vitriol was so intense that she ended up apologizing for her claims.

The rise of RedNote: According to investors, Xiaohongshu—aka the China-based TikTok rival RedNote—is reportedly worth $20 billion now. If the app can retain a hefty chunk of its new American user base, that valuation could soar even higher. So far, the odds seem to be in RedNote’s favor: Duolingo says the number of U.S. users who want to learn Mandarin has tripled in recent days.

WATCH THIS 📺

This week on the podcast…

The trend: For the latest installment of Creator Upload, host Lauren Schnipper rejoined Josh Cohen in the studio to talk about all things TikTok. At the top of the discussion board: the lead-up to TikTok’s short-lived Sunday shutdown, the rise of RedNote, and YouTube’s quest to be the next vertical video giant.

Will Donald Trump successfully save TikTok or will a new platform take its place? Tune into the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to hear the experts weigh in.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Drew Baldwin, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.