The creator economy is rapidly evolving, moving beyond ad revenue alone. YouTubers are launching product lines, acquiring startups, and building business empires. MrBeast’s company, for instance, acquired fintech startup Step, and his chocolate business is now outperforming his media division. This isn’t just an isolated strategy; it’s becoming the norm for many creators.
In this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Rebecca Bellan explore how creators are diversifying beyond ads, discuss the scalability of this model beyond the top 1%, cover updates from India’s AI Impact Summit, and review other key news of the week.