logo
episode-header-image
About this episode

Before we get started: all the cool kids are filling out the Equity listener survey. We want to hear from you! 

On today's episode, Alex had Eric Silver, Head of Creative at the podcast collective Multitude on the show to help us sort through:

  • What the hell happened with Spotify's big podcast push, and its resulting layoffs.
  • Why tech platforms have not yet found a way to make creative work lucrative enough to engender a new 'creator middle class.'
  • The state of the ad market, and its impacts on creative work more generally.

Towards the end we had a moment to comment on AI, but we kept that somewhat far from our central theme.

Long-time Equity listeners will recall that we've covered the creator economy a few times on the show and the blog, including:

And if you need even more, this investor survey from 2021 on all things creator-economy is a great look-back in time!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders, one that details how our stories come together and more!

Up next
Jul 23
AI’s talent arms race is starting to look like pro sports
AI is entering a new phase where access to top talent is becoming as important as, if not more important than, compute or data. The market for AI researchers is so overheated, it’s starting to look a lot like pro sports — complete with outsized contracts and unprecedented infrast ... Show More
27m 57s
Jul 19
OpenAI, Thinking Machines Lab, and the built-in chaos of a $2B seed round
OpenAI’s former chief technology officer, Mira Murati, just raised one of the largest seed rounds in history. Murati secured $2 billion in that seed round for Thinking Machines Lab — a startup so early, it hasn’t even revealed what it’s working on yet. The move is raising eyebrow ... Show More
30m 30s
Jul 16
Hugging Face’s co-founder on bringing open-source AI to life with cute robots
Hugging Face’s new AI robot, the Reachy Mini, has already racked up $1 million in sales just five days after launch. But the company isn’t trying to build a chore-doing humanoid just yet. Instead, Hugging Face sees the Reachy Mini as a hackable, desk-friendly device that's part e ... Show More
27m 58s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2020
Introducing Foundering
Adam Neumann had a vision: to make his startup WeWork a wildly successful company that would change the world. He convinced thousands of other people -- customers, employees, investors -- that he could make that dream a reality. And for a while, he did. He was one of the most suc ... Show More
3m 34s
Jul 2023
Peak social media: The power of influencers
Social media today is less about making friends and more about following popular content creators. While those creators are starting to hold some power over the platforms themselves, they’re also looking to become less reliant on the platforms that have enabled them to find fame ... Show More
26m 42s
Jun 2024
Don’t Fundraise Unless You Have to, But if You do, Look for this in your Investors - with Sonia W. at VentureSouq | The Perfect Pitch Podcast Ep5
We were thrilled to speak with Sonia Weymuller, one of Dubai’s most active investors who started her VC career by launching the largest angel investor syndicate before professionalizing the firm to become VentureSouq. Our insightful conversation with Sonia revealed her unique per ... Show More
41m 16s
May 2024
#133 PodcastAI: Josh Gets Displaced
We thought it would take years before AI could replace a podcast host. That is, until founder Edward Brawer slid into Josh’s DMs to pitch his startup, PodcastAI. Edward thinks he can make podcast producers 10x more productive and he already signed two big name podcasters. Now can ... Show More
50m 57s
May 2024
How can we own our AI generated creations?
Anyone can make AI generated content nowadays, but do you actually own it? As AI becomes more involved in creative industries, human creativity and copyright may be in jeopardy. CEO of Invoke AI Kent Keirsey joins us to talk about exactly that and what can be done to ensure owner ... Show More
28m 19s
Mar 2023
Building the Future of Web3 w/ Gary
Gary saw an opportunity in web3 to facilitate, optimize, and build bridges between founders and product/market fits. Superlayer is a venture studio that differs from VCs and accelerators by committing to co-founding and shaping great ideas that will define web3 from end to end. T ... Show More
1h 2m
Jan 2024
#335 How To Make A Few Billion Dollars: Brad Jacobs
What I learned from reading How To Make A Few Billion Dollars by Brad Jacobs. ----Get access to the World’s Most Valuable Notebook for Founders by investing in a subscription to Founders Notes----Come and build in-person relationships at the Founders Only conference----(0:01) I'm ... Show More
1h 12m
May 2024
Reaching $1M in ARR, Rising Above the Competition, and Knowing Your Purpose — ft. Tyler Denk of Beehiiv
We’re finishing off our three part series on the future of entrepreneurship.  In the episode we share today, we feature a First Time Founders episode, in which our co-host Ed chats with Tyler Denk, the cofounder and CEO of Beehiiv, a newsletter publishing and monetization platfor ... Show More
39m 59s
May 2024
#78 - Decoding Billion-Dollar Success: Timeless principles.
Welcome to another episode of the Natural Born Leader Podcast! Last night, I stumbled upon an eye-opening podcast featuring a seasoned entrepreneur who's seen it all, from PayPal to Palantir. What struck me the most? Despite his brilliance, building billion-dollar companies ... Show More
3m 8s
Jun 2024
Policy is crucial to spread the AI wealth with Steve Case from AOL and Revolution Ventures
This week on Found, we have an interview from TechCrunch's Strictly VC event in DC. Becca sat down with Steve Case, the founder of AOL to discuss policy, innovation, and AI. Case, now the founder of Revolution Ventures, told the live audience that open access not only helped his ... Show More
20m 35s