After inadvertently revealing his earnings on social media in June, podcaster Joe Budden told The New York Times that his network is on pace to earn $12 million this year in Patreon subscriptions alone. With other revenue streams, that number swells to more than $20 million. The Times piece is a rare look into the finances of big-name content creators — usually they’re cagey about money.
On The Vergecast: TV is on the decline, so celebrities are riding the subway and going to chicken shops. Plus, how Chicago became the epicenter of ‘Schedule A’ lawsuits against online storefronts.
Getting copied is devastating — but not necessarily illegal. Who owns what in an era of unprecedented mass consumption?
Or would you? The weird little toys are a nightmare to buy so we took matters into our own hands.
In recent years the newsletter platform has tried to expand to micro-blogging, TikTokers, and full websites. Now the company is inching towards something its leadership has long criticized: advertising and social networks.
The New York Times reports that Substack is doubling down on its Notes feature, which is similar to X or Meta’s Threads. Substack raised $100 million in a recent funding round. In June, the company said it wasn’t planning to be profitable anytime soon.
What do a filmmaker in Wisconsin, billionaire investor Bill Ackman, The Guardian, and a doctor who posted on TikTok all have in common? UnitedHealth has targeted them in an effort to clamp down on criticism. The company’s legal tactics have only intensified after the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, The New York Times reports.
[nytimes.com]
In our second annual trend forecast, The Verge staff weighs in on Labubus, tariffs, The Hague, and AI slop.
Nieman Lab reports that the new policy comes after leadership at LexisNexis (which owns the outlet) claimed some of Law360’s coverage had liberal leanings. The AI tool scans stories and flags portions it deems biased that should be rewritten to be more “impartial.” A petition signed by over 90 percent of unionized staff at Law360 demands that use of the tool be made voluntary.
