It’s Sunday, and here’s a handpicked selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.
But first, why watch YouTube when you can build your own in two hours? That’s what Andrej Karpathy did with HackerTube, which contains thousands of videos related to the titular subject and shows what can be accomplished with AI-assisted coding.
CREATOR COMMOTION
YouTuber Brandon Herrera isn’t going to Congress. (Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images.)
Creators are grappling with public affairs, political losses, and candy lawsuits
The race: Firearms YouTuber Brandon Herrera lost his Congressional bid. Running for a House seat in a deep-red district, Herrera was favored to become the first Congressman whose career began on social media. But the blue wave that crashed down in Texas swept Herrera aside, as Democrat Katy Padilla Stout earned a comfortable victory that will send Herrera back to YouTube.
The divorce: Hila and Ethan Klein were well known as co-hosts of a podcast and YouTube channel, but Ethan is being removed from his positions after his affair came to light. Hila, meanwhile, has filed for divorce and is seeking joint custody of the couple’s kids while also restoring her maiden name.
The lawsuit: The owner of Sour Patch Kids is suing Ryan Trahan over his Joyride candy brand. Consumer goods giant Mondelez is arguing that Trahan’s candies were designed to be confused with Sour Patch Kids, because they’re human-shaped and wrapped in colorful packaging. The actual case might be complicated, but this is yet another roadblock for a creator-led consumable product.
The pivot: Alex Cooper is heading to CAA after exiting UTA. The Call Her Daddy host will look to turn over a new leaf as she brings a new talent firm into her corner. CAA is choosing to represent Cooper, her husband Matt Kaplan, and their media company Unwell, so the L.A.-based agency is making a big bet on a major Gen Z tastemaker.
The short-form push: Jubilee delivered its first election special on the night of the 2026 midterms. Days later, the media company has announced its first two short-form originals. Dateable and People Spotting will help Jubilee break into new territory as it builds on its reputation as a wide-reaching content producer aimed at Gen Z.
EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
YouTube is tapping into the ‘GTA VI’ hype.
This fall in creator events: Paris Creator Week, YouTube’s GTA collective, and a Harvard summit
The collective: YouTube is bringing a Grand Theft Auto “creator collective” to London. On November 17, two days before the arrival of the much-anticipated next chapter in Rockstar Games’ open-world franchise, YouTube will gather gamers and creators in West London for an event that will celebrate the launch of GTA VI. The game is expected to be the biggest gaming tentpole of the year, so it’s no surprise to see platforms pulling out all the stops to generate excitement.
The convention: Can Paris Creator Week become the Cannes of the creator economy? That question was on everyone’s mind as 8,000 attendees flocked to the French capital for two days of typical convention fare. All of the major social media players were represented, as were European content producers like Banijay.
The summit: Harvard University’s School of Public Health hosted a creator summit. More than a dozen creators were in attendance as Harvard looked to improve the quality of health information on social media. Platforms like TikTok are increasingly popular as sources of medical advice for Gen Z users, so the summit is an important step in the right direction as healthcare professionals look to counteract the spread of misinformation.
PLATFORM HEADLINES
YouTube’s app redesign has proven to be perplexing.
YouTube has a new look, Snap has 30M paying subs, and Instagram has critics
The redesign: The new version of the YouTube app moves the Subscriptions tab to a menu that goes away once the user starts scrolling through their feed. YouTube redesigns are always unpopular at first, but the platform’s repeated minimizations of its famous subscriptions is definitely a curious choice.
The stats: Snapchat’s subscription offerings now have 30 million customers. As Snap Inc. revealed its earnings for the third quarter of 2026, it touted the continued success of products like Snapchat+ and Lens+. By offering premium features in exchange for a cost-effective monthly price, subscriptions have become a key part of Snap’s business model and monetization suite.
The skeptics: The financials of Instagram’s move into long-form content are drawing questions. Creators want to buy into Instagram’s plan for 90-minute videos, but without a robust revenue stream attached, some are skeptical.
“Exposure as a form of payment and with the intention of cutting into YouTube’s market share and cutting into the amount of views people are getting on YouTube—it’s just gross,” digital strategist and creator Gabriella Zutrau told Digiday. “Instagram has never valued creators.”
WATCH THIS 👀
We’re always looking for a reason to listen to Elton John.
Why is “Sacrifice” the first Elton John music video with 1B YouTube views?
The music video: “Sacrifice” is a 1989 single that peaked at #18 on the charts. 37 years later, it just gave Elton John his first entry in YouTube’s Billion Views Club. You would think that “Tiny Dancer,” “Your Song,” or “Bennie and the Jets” would have broken through first, but it’s going to be a long, long time before those singles can match “Sacrifice” on YouTube.
Check out the full music video here for a trip back in time to the late ‘80s.
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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen.