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It’s Thursday and NFL fans don’t want to follow their faves on just any platform—especially not one connected to Elon Musk. According to a new lawsuit, consumers are suing the NFL over its decision to allow teams to make profiles on X, but not Bluesky

Today’s News

POLICY REPORT

Companies like Shein are pausing creator partnerships thanks to Trump’s tariffs

The context: Earlier this month, Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico. While the imposition of tariffs on goods from America’s neighbors was temporarily delayed until March 4, the tariffs on Chinese imports went into effect as planned on February 4, adding a 10% ad valorem duty to all goods and eliminating many exceptions for low-priced items.

Not long after, shoppers buying from Chinese ecom outlets like Shein and Temu noticed their packages were being held up at U.S. customs and slapped with extra charges. Those American buyers were suddenly saddled with fees between $20 and $50—a major disincentive for customers looking to buy cheap, fast-fashion products.

The response: Now, Shein has decided to shut down partnerships with U.S.-focused content creators until at least March. In two separate emails shared with Business Insider, Shein said it would be pausing current collaborations and holding off on new ones. In both cases, the company said these changes are specific to creators with U.S. audiences and a direct result of the new tariffs.

Shein isn’t the only company to take that step: Halara, an ecommerce activewear brand owned by Hong Kong-based CEO Joyce Zhang is similarly pausing partnerships. The company—which has sold over 125,000 items through TikTok Shop—also said it will be “changing its warehouse strategy to adapt to U.S. tariff policies”.

The consequences: While there are ethical concerns about fast fashion companies and how they produce their items, outlets like Shein are a major financial force within the $250 billion creator economy and have established deep roots within the U.S. creator community. If they continue to hold back on targeting American audiences, it will result in lost income and unreliable future revenue for U.S. influencers—and that’s only half of the equation. American creators like TikToker Alyssa McKay, who works directly with Chinese manufacturers for her own brand, Beyond Lost, are also facing mounting uncertainty as they await Trump’s next move.

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HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• The U.K.’s national tax agency has announced its plan to crack down on earnings from creator-centric “side hustles” like live shopping and affiliate marketing. (Tubefilter)
  
  

• X has agreed to pay roughly $10 million in response to a lawsuit filed against Twitter by Donald Trump in 2021. (CNBC)
  
  

• Reddit is putting together a “small search team” of engineers in order to beef up the search capabilities of AI-driven tools like Answers. (TechCrunch)
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• Ahead of Valentine’s Day, Meta is warning users not to fall for “romance scams”—a type of online fraud that has already been linked to 116,000 Instagram and Facebook accounts in 2025. (Engadget)

STAYING POSITIVE

An upcoming social feed will “do the doomscrolling for you.” Will that make its users more positive?

The feed: BuzzFeed is going back to its upbeat roots for a new project: a social media platform designed to “do the doomscrolling for you.” News of “BFIsland” arrived on February 2, when Semafor reported on BuzzFeed Co-Founder and CEO Jonah Peretti’s plan to counter the “vibe shift” that has driven American discourse to the right.

Peretti clarified that vision in a manifesto that refers to the widespread adoption of SNARF (content driven by Stakes, Novelty, Anger, Retention, and/or Fear) among social media platforms. The BuzzFeed leader explained that giants like TikTok and Instagram are built on those posts because AI-driven recommendation systems place a higher value on reactionary content. 

Peretti says BFisland will differ from “big tech’s global SNARF machines” through a combination of human-led curation and advanced AI features. To demonstrate the demand for that product, the CEO cited a survey outlining Gen Z’s belief that their lives would be easier if TikTok had never existed.

The context: Championing uplifting content is nothing new for BuzzFeed. The company’s video push was initially driven by content that celebrated users’ unique identities rather than pitting those groups against one another. Unfortunately, the nature of internet discourse changed around 2016, leaving BuzzFeed to juggle a shifting online environment with a series of internal talent disputes. Multiple rounds of layoffs followed—but things haven’t been all bad for the company in recent years. BuzzFeed did good business when it offloaded 2021 acquisitions Complex Networks and First We Feast in a pair of sales.

Now, we’ll see whether the returns from those deals wash up on the shores of BFisland. The platform is currently accepting pre-launch sign-ups on its website, although few details about its next steps are currently available.

CREATOR CASHFLOW

Slow Ventures’s new $60M fund will back creator businesses in “high value verticals”

The fund: A regular investor in creator businesses is upping the ante to the tune of $60 million.

Over the last few years, Slow Ventures has launched multiple seed funds and amassed a portfolio that includes more than $16 billion of total funding. Now, the early stage investment firm has announced the formation of the Slow Ventures Creator Fund: a new financial asset that will back multi-hyphenate entrepreneurs who are looking to launch their own businesses. Per an announcement post on Medium, Slow will be “directly backing creators with ambitions to build companies tailor-made for their passionate communities.” The size of those investments will reportedly range between $1 million and $3 million.

The Slow Ventures Creator Fund will be led by Slow Co-Founder Sam Lessin—formerly the VP of Product at Facebook—and Investor Megan Lightcap, with additional expertise contributed by Fullscreen and The Chernin Group vet Billy Parks (who has experience investing in creators).

The context: Slow may now have a fully dedicated creator fund, but the firm has sought to align itself with respected creators in niche fields over the last several years. One example of the firm’s priorities is its backing of literary YouTuber John Fish, who used Slow’s support to develop a hub called Bookshelved.

The investment firm’s latest announcement shows its commitment to finding creators in “high value verticals” who are looking to launch businesses. If you fit that description, Slow Ventures could have a seven-digit check with your name on it. More details about the Creator Fund are available through its official homepage.

WATCH THIS 📺

A Netflix-themed restaurant has arrived in Sin City

The restaurant: Netflix is bringing themed eats to Las Vegas. The streaming service launched a restaurant called Netflix Bites earlier this week, bringing a host of originals-centric food to the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. (If all that sounds familiar, it’s because Netflix Bites previously appeared as a month-long pop-up in Los Angeles.)

The offerings: Influencers like Karissaeats were some of the first to test out the new Vegas-based menu, which includes petite fours inspired by Bridgerton, spicy snacks themed around Squid Games, and displays designed to immerse diners in the world of Stranger Things. According to TechCrunch, Netflix Bites will be around for a year-long residency—meaning fans will want to plan their trip to the strip sooner rather than later.

Check out Karissaeats’ video on her experience at Netflix Bites here.

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