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Tinder cautioned investors it expected another drop in paying users in the fourth quarter. A Forbes Health survey this year reported 78% of Americans felt exhausted by dating apps. AdvertisementSingles aren't the only ones feeling the ache from dating app fatigue — Wall Street is too. AdvertisementDeflating investor energy around dating apps mirrors a national outcry of "swipe fatigue," following a decade of the apps' meteoric rise. As users grow frustrated with dating app fees and algorithms, new startup founders are entering the space.

Persons: Bumble, Tinder, —, influencer Serena Kerrigan, Whitney Wolfe Herd, Lidiane Jones, Sitch Organizations: Forbes Health, Service, Match, Inc, Bloomberg's Technology Summit Locations: Geneva

☆ A decade and $22 billion later, Meta's big bet on messaging is finally starting to pay off
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-07 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The messaging app is fueling Meta's non-advertising revenue growth. That was mostly driven by WhatsApp's business messaging product, which lets companies pay to chat with current or prospective customers. Since the third quarter of 2022, Meta has repeatedly cited WhatsApp business messaging as a key source of revenue growth. AdvertisementGenerative AI could boost the efficiency of Meta's messaging business going forward, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told investors in April. Still, each of Meta's messaging products is distinctly different in who it connects, where people are using it, and how Meta can monetize it.

Persons: —, WhatsApp, Meta, Matt Idema, Mark Mahaney, Mahaney, that's, Tom Alison, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, Crisan Organizations: Facebook, Meta, Service, Evercore ISI, Business, DMs Locations: Austin , Texas, Messenger

A recent court filing included six decks MrBeast's team made to pitch brands like GM, Ford, and LG. As in most media pitches, MrBeast's team focused on his audience demographics, scale, and splashy content to woo brands. In each deck, MrBeast's team shared metrics like subscriber and follower counts, monthly views, and unique viewers to showcase the scale of his YouTube empire. Advertisement"The Next Generation Is Not Watching TV," the MrBeast team wrote in many of the pitches. Keep reading for more details from MrBeast's pitch deck for General Motors, dated February 2023.

Persons: —, Burger, MrBeast, Jimmy Donaldson, Jeffrey Housenbold, Mario, Donaldson, he'll Organizations: GM, Ford, LG, Service, General Motors, Walmart, Mario Bros, Verizon, Amazon's, Entertainment Locations: CarMax, Hollywood

☆ Big Tech's vanishing perks have left employees to face a stark new reality
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-31 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, Big Tech is pulling back on the freebies for its employees . The perks help recruit and retain talent and keep employees working at the office. Some Amazon employees aren't buying it. It's not all bad news for Amazon employees, though. Some Amazon employees support Jeff Bezos' controversial WaPo decision.

Persons: —, David Arky, Tyler Le, Insider's Lara O'Reilly, Rob Price, Hugh Langley, Sydney Bradley, It's, Matt Garman, Frederic J . BROWN, BI's Jyoti Mann, Ashley Stewart, Garman, Stave Huffman, Spencer Platt, Natalie Ammari, Tesla, Meta, Jenny Chang, Rodriguez, Harris, Trump, you'll, Jeff Bezos, Bezos, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, Milan Sehmbi Organizations: Business, Service, Microsoft, SEC, Big Tech, Meta, Citibank, Tech, Services, Getty, Amazon Web Services, Amazon, BI, Google, Semiconductor, Intel, Washington Post, Apple Locations: OpenAI, AFP, New York, London

AdvertisementFor more than a decade, Big Tech companies doled out lavish perks to hire and retain a limited supply of technical talent — and some workers pushed the limits of these benefits. AdvertisementBusiness Insider interviewed tech workers and industry experts about Grubgate and the evolving relationship between Big Tech companies and staff. They also described how layoffs, efficiency drives, and tougher policy enforcement have shifted the culture at once easygoing tech companies. According to job marketplace Trueup, at least 650,000 tech workers have been cut since the start of 2023. Alongside industrywide layoffs that began in 2022, many tech companies also trimmed back the benefits on offer.

Persons: —, Meta, grifting, that's, Allison Shrivastava, it's, Googler, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuck, Patrick Mork, Wall, Mork, Dilip Rao, he's, Bruce Daisley, Daisley Organizations: Big Tech, Service, Google, Meta, US Meta, Snap, Nintendo, Twitter, YouTube Locations: Silicon Valley, Mountain View, Tupperware, US, Meta

The creator economy is dominated by Big Tech, but a new set of startups is finding ways to break in. From influencer marketing to AI tech, here are 13 startups to watch in 2024, according to investors. AdvertisementGoldman Sachs estimated the creator economy could hit $480 billion annually by 2027, driven largely by influencer marketing and advertising revenue. Creator startups that build with artificial-intelligence tech, such as Delphi and Merse, have also become a focus among investors. Here are those 13 creator startups to watch in 2024, listed in alphabetical order:

Persons: —, Alejandro Oropeza, Goldman Sachs Organizations: Big Tech, Business, Service, Google, Venture, Delphi

Creator-economy startup Jellysmack is reorganizing and cutting some staff, Business Insider is exclusively reporting. "Jellysmack is making organizational adjustments to better align resources with key areas of growth," a representative told BI in an email. While we are scaling back certain operations in our Creator Program on Meta due to the opacity of their new monetization model, we remain dedicated to supporting our key creator partners and ensuring they continue to benefit from our platform." The company said in early 2022 that it would set aside $500 million for a program called JellyFi to license creator catalogs . Despite Jellysmack's expansion into new areas of the creator economy, its business had been increasingly troubled, insiders told BI earlier this year.

Persons: SoftBank, —, Jellysmack, Michael Philippe, Jelly Organizations: Business, Service, YouTube, Meta, Facebook, Copyright Capital Locations: France

☆ Meta reorganized some of its biggest businesses and eliminated some roles
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-17 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta reorganized some of its major units, cutting roles at Instagram, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp. A Meta spokesperson said the company was also moving some teams to different locations. AdvertisementMeta said Wednesday it reorganized some of its biggest businesses in a move that eliminated some roles at units including Instagram, Reality Labs, and WhatsApp. A spokesperson said in a statement that Meta was looking for jobs for staff whose roles were eliminated. "This includes moving some teams to different locations, and moving some employees to different roles."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg's, —, Meta, Jane Manchun Wong, Wong, Mark Zuckerberg Organizations: Meta, Reality Labs, Service Locations: Meta

☆ New dating apps and social-networking startups are gaining steam. Read pitch decks 6 used to raise millions of dollars.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

New social-networking and dating startups are coming onto the scene. Here are the pitch decks six startups used while raising Series A and seed rounds. Founders of these startups are tackling problems like loneliness, dating app fatigue, and general dissatisfaction with the current social-media incumbents. Meet 7 VC investors eyeing new social startupsBI spoke with several social-media and dating app founders about how they are raising capital — including the pitch decks they used to raise millions of dollars. Read the pitch decks that helped 6 social-networking and dating startups fundraise millions of dollars:Note: Pitch decks are sorted by investment stage and size of round.

Persons: —, Isabella Epstein's, Tiffany, Daybreak Ventures Rex Woodbury, Catalyst, Mervana Parekh, It's, Marlon Nichols Organizations: Service, IRL, Big Tech, Daybreak Ventures, Business, Tinder, Acrew, Mac Venture

☆ Meta's head of Threads shares advice about how and when to post — as the debate swirls around engagement bait
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta is sharing new advice for creators on Threads about engaging content and how often to post. We spoke with Meta's head of Threads about what the platform is advising creators to do on the app. If there's one takeaway that Dalton Smith has for creators using Threads, it's that they should remember it's "a real-time conversation app." Advertisement"Most of the content will be distributed in just a few hours over the course of the day," Dalton Smith told BI. Here are five takeaways from BI's conversation with Meta's Emily Dalton Smith:

Persons: —, here's, Katie Notopoulos, Adam Mosseri —, Mosseri, Emily Dalton Smith, Dalton Smith Organizations: Service, Meta

☆ There's new evidence Instagram's plan to win over teens is working
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Instagram is the most used app among US teens, a new Piper Sandler survey found. The analysts found that 87% of teens said they used Instagram at least once a month. AdvertisementTikTok was the second most used social app, with 79% saying they used it monthly compared to 74% a year ago. Snapchat came in third at 71% monthly usage, a decline from fall 2023 when 74% said they used the app monthly. Pinterest (41%), Twitter (30%), and Facebook (30%) rounded out the bottom in terms of monthly usage this fall.

Persons: Instagram, Piper Sandler, TikTok, Snapchat, —, Adam Mosseri, Harry Stebbing's 20VC, Piper Sandler's, Meta Organizations: Service, Piper, Twitter, Facebook, Meta, DMs, Snapchat, Big Tech

☆ A social-calendar app that helps friends sync their schedules and make plans raised $8 million. Read its pitch deck.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Howbout is a social-calendar app that wants to help friends make plans. The UK-based startup raised an $8 million Series A led by Goodwater Capital. "That person — and it's usually she — is so powerful in her friendship group," Howbout CEO Neil Tanna told Business Insider. Howbout is approaching 5 million users, Tanna said, and is currently ranked No. Read the 12-page pitch deck that Howbout used to raise its $8 million Series A:Note: Some slides have been edited and details have been redacted to share the document publicly.

Persons: —, Neil Tanna, Goodwater Capital's, Chien, Tanna, it's, Howbout Organizations: Goodwater Capital, Service, Friendship, Apple, Tinder, Sony Music

☆ Instagram has surged to a new high among US teens, new data reveals
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Instagram is the most used app among US teens, a new Piper Sandler survey found. The analysts found that 87% of teens said they used Instagram at least once a month. AdvertisementTikTok was the second most used social app, with 79% saying they used it monthly compared to 74% a year ago. Pinterest (41%), Twitter (30%), and Facebook (30%) rounded out the bottom in terms of monthly usage this fall. Related storiesBut while Instagram may have won the usage contest among US teens, TikTok was the most liked.

☆ Inside Substack's emerging IRL event strategy as the platform expands beyond its newsletter roots
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-09 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

We spoke with Sophia Efthimiatou and Matt Starr, Substack's duo paving the platform's IRL strategy. hosted "Hate Read Live," where several contributors behind Cai's "Hate Reads" newsletter read excerpts at a bar in New York. September: Casey Lewis hosted "Debate Club," the first iteration of Substack's "Stacked Debate" series, in a gymnasium featuring several Substack writers. hosted "Debate Club," the first iteration of Substack's "Stacked Debate" series, in a gymnasium featuring several Substack writers. Substack's events are a playground for promoting these tools.

Persons: Substack, Sophia Efthimiatou, Matt Starr, —, I'm, Casey Lewis —, Lewis, John Paul Brammer, Kareem Rahma, Nolita Dirtbag, Randa Sakallah, Casey Lewis, Anna Maria Lopez, Hunter Harris, Rayne Fisher, Efthimiatou, Starr, Emma Trim, Delia Cai, Cai's, Tavi Gevinson, Mary Gaitskill, Quann, Emilia Petrarca, Jessica DeFino, Fisher, Emily Sundberg, Substack's, Hamish McKenzie, McKenzie, podcaster Dwarkesh Patel Organizations: IRL, Service, Press, Substack, Business, The New York Times, Hotel Chelsea, New York, Democratic, Convention Locations: New York, New York City, Substack, New, Montauk , New York, San Francisco, inboxes

☆ The influencer middle class is getting squeezed as marketers turn to superstar creators and celebs
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Influencer marketers are moving away from campaigns with micro influencers and back to big stars. AdvertisementA few years ago, influencer marketers were ditching their plans to hire celebrity content creators for brand deals in exchange for influencers with smaller audiences. Micro influencers as a category of work dropped from 74% to 62% between 2023 and 2024, while nano influencer work fell from 37% to 28%. One micro influencer, Bethany Everett-Ratcliffe, said she'd felt this impact on her business. Other marketers have reported up to 20% cost increases among micro influencers between 2023 and 2024.

Persons: —, Kim Kardashian, influencers, Linqia, Bethany Everett, Ratcliffe, she'd, Keith Bendes, Bendes, James Nord, Sabrina Carpenter's, Michael Cera's, Olivia McNaughten, Jonathan Chanti Organizations: Service, Blank, Viral, UGC Locations: Linqia, Everett

☆ Bonobos cofounder Andy Dunn has a new IRL social startup. Read the 31-page pitch deck it used to raise $11.5 million.
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Pie, an IRL social startup, raised $11.5 million in Series A funding led by Forerunner Ventures. Founded by Bonobos' Andy Dunn, Pie focuses on in-person connections and events. One of many emerging "IRL social" apps, Pie lets users plan and join in on IRL hangouts. Advertisement"This is venture-backed startups," Dunn said, adding that by the time of Pie's Series B, it will have a monetization engine locked down. Read the 31-page pitch deck that Andy Dunn used to raise Pie's Series A:Note: Pie has redacted details and amended some pages so that the document could be shared externally.

Persons: Bonobos, Andy Dunn, Pie, —, Dunn, Vivek Murthy, Kirsten Green, Ev Williams, Marisa Fanco's, wasn't, " Dunn, Mary Doctor Organizations: Forerunner Ventures, Service, IRL, US, Origin Ventures, Pie's Locations: Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco

A leaked internal guidebook from MrBeast is being passed around the tech world. Tech workers and investors are digging into the YouTuber's views on hiring, managing, and more. Related storiesA hardcore founder who writes like a real personMrBeast's guidebook is the latest "hardcore" corporate document to go viral in the tech world. "Leaked internal emails and memos are religious texts for the tech world," Alder said. Donaldson's casual, unpretentious writing style was a big factor in helping it spread across the tech world, industry insiders told BI.

Persons: —, He's, Jimmy Donaldson, Donaldson, Brian Chesky, Combinator's Paul Graham, Tom Alder, Alder, Jeff Bezos, ByteDance, Donaldson isn't, it's, John McCarus, Steve Jobs, MrBeast, Rachel Roberts Mattox, Mattox, Marc Cohen, Abhishek Sharma Organizations: Tech, Service, Hacker, Big Tech, YouTube, Unbundled, Google Locations: Silicon Valley

☆ Influencers are shepherding their online followers to IRL events as they look to build communities and make money
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-25 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Vox Media has also doubled down on investing in podcasting and is helping its podcast creators expand into live events. Jackie Cinguina, chief marketing officer, and Lillian Xu, executive director, spoke with BI about the company's offerings for podcast creators. Vox Media leans on specific marketing, like placing podcast talent into larger in-person events to perform, like South by Southwest. "From an audience standpoint, we thought it was really important," Xu said about bringing back live events. You see them react to the audience and feed off of them when they are in front of a live audience."

Persons: —, Cary, Michael Huang, Cary Huang, Huang, Tana Mongeau, Brooke Schofield, Jake Shane, Ethan, Hila Klein, Mongeau, Schofield, Hugo Amsellem, it's, Jenna Bandy, Bree Green, Carson Roney, Alex Sheinman, Claire Parker, Ashley Hamilton, Parker, Hamilton, cohost Claire, Dan Howell, Phil Lester, Howell, Lester, Ariana Nathani, Jackie Cinguina, Lillian Xu, Cinguina, Vox, Xu, they're, Delia Cai, Hunter Harris, Emilia Petrarca, Sophia Efthimiatou, Efthimiatou Organizations: Service, Saban Media Center, Disney, Nickelodeon, YouTube, Business, Dolby Theatre, Snapback Agency, Snapback, of, Creators, Netflix, Vox, Vox Media, BI, Southwest, IRL Locations: Hollywood, LA, America, of America, York, Hamilton, South

☆ Instagram has become a hot dating app in the era of swipe fatigue
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Go to newsletter preferences Thanks for signing up! download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . In fact, a former Instagram staffer recently told me that the stories feature has pretty much become a dating product. And a former Bumble staffer told me that Instagram was often viewed as a competitor internally. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Serena Kerrigan, —, Instagram Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Read the 16-page pitch deck an app focused on helping people ditch the DMs and go on IRL dates used to raise $3 million
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-02 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Could a dating app that's built around setting up an actual date help? First Round's on Me is a new dating platform founded by husband-wife duo Joe and Hannah Feminella. The two are actually a Hinge success story, Joe told Business Insider. Fundraising is a bit like dating, it turns out, Joe told BI. FROM is growing at a time when other newcomers in the dating and social space are emerging as well.

Persons: —, Joe, Hannah Feminella, Hannah, Let's, There's, — Tinder Organizations: Service, Business, Manna Property, IRL Locations: DMs

Read previewUpdate: After this article was published, Paramount Global confirmed to Business Insider that the company had sold VidCon to Informa. Paramount Global is selling its creator conference VidCon to the UK media and events company Informa, according to two people familiar with the matter. They spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to discuss details around the deal. Adding VidCon, which centers on social-media stars rather than Hollywood and comic-book talent, could help broaden the fan base and advertiser roster of its events business. BI was unable to learn the terms of the VidCon deal between Paramount and Informa.

Persons: —, VidCon, Informa, YouTubers Hank, John Green, São Paulo, Green, lanyards, Phillips, Adweek, David Ellison's Organizations: Service, Paramount Global, Business, Toronto Comicon, Cannes Lions, Paramount, Viacom, SXSW, Disney, Media, BI Locations: Anaheim , California, Baltimore, Mexico City, Anaheim

☆ Meta is shutting down its custom AR studio — and creators are not happy
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-27 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Meta said it's shutting down its augmented-reality studio Spark early next year. The feature allows AR developers to make custom effects for apps like Instagram and Facebook. AR effects have become a mainstay of the short-video era, driving trends on TikTok and Snapchat. AdvertisementMeta is shutting down its augmented-reality studio, Spark, a feature that allowed AR developers and brands to make custom effects for Instagram and Facebook. The company will continue to make its own AR Effects available to users, but will remove filters created by third-party developers, it said.

Persons: Meta, — Organizations: Facebook, Service, Business

☆ Move over Hinge and Tinder, there's a new crop of dating apps. Meet the founders behind 11 startups sparking romance.
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-26 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Latu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

AdvertisementJoshi's dating app, Friend of a Friend, has ads plastered around New York City. AdvertisementThe anti-swipersWhen setting out to build a dating app, swiping fatigue was top of mind for Vaish Sesetty and Cyrus Belsoi, the founders of the dating app Pique. AdvertisementLast year, Chernyak followed her frustration out of her legal career and launched the video-profile dating app Fast-Forward Dating App with two cofounders. AdvertisementThe Instagram DMsOne of the biggest dating apps isn't even a dating app — it's Instagram. Fast-Forward Dating App is a video-profile dating app where users answer five questions on camera with no edits or filters.

Persons: —, Forbes, who'd, Serena Kerrigan, Kerrigan, Rex Woodbury, Vaish Sesetty, Cyrus Belsoi, Belsoi, Karima Ben Abdelmalek, France who's, Abdelmalek, they've, Happn, Joe Feminella, Feminella, Hannah, Elle Wilson, Wilson, Danielle Dietzek, Julie Griggs, Fourplay, Nicole Fara Silver, Dietzek, Anushka Joshi, Friend, Joshi, Derek Lee, Lee, Boo, David Chang, Richard Chang, Katya Chernyak, Chernyak, Aeen Avini, Victoria Todis, Bumble, Nandini Mullaji, Mullaji, Chad DePue, who's, Jeremy Liew, Sitch, Alex Weitzman, hasn't, Weitzman, Amori, Tabitha, Ethan, Pique, Lieu Organizations: Service, Match, Business, Bradley, Microsoft, Daybreak Ventures, Amazon Web Services, Manna, New, Lightspeed Locations: New York City, York City, Paris, TikTok, Park, Brooklyn, France, singlehood, Victoria, Chicago, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sitch

☆ Ex-Google staffers are building a social-mapping platform for online and IRL communities
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-21 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"We essentially see ourselves as a Google Maps for communities," PamPam cofounder Helena Jaramillo told Business Insider. The platform draws its data from Mapbox and Google Places. "We used all these apps obviously to do that, Google Maps or getting lists or recommendations from friends, but it just never really felt right." The team behind Zenly, which Snapchat acquired and morphed into its Snap Map feature, is building another new social map app called "Bump." AdvertisementPamPam sees its creators as "community creators," Jaramillo explained.

Persons: —, PamPam, Helena Jaramillo, Jaramillo, Carlo Jörges, Jörges, We've, What's, Snapchat, Raya, monetization Organizations: Service, Google, Business, Big Tech, Facebook, YouTube Locations: New York City, Philadelphia, Mapbox, doesn't

☆ An M&A expert says creator-economy companies need to look beyond influencers to grow
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Instead, look at companies that sell tools for content creation that service a wider swath of users, Lambros told Business Insider. BI spoke to Lambros about the state of the creator economy and the firm's recent report on the industry. The creator economy needs to crack B2BCompanies should not rely on influencers to make it big. Publicly traded companies within the creator economy include Shopify, Eventbrite, Roblox, and Reddit. Private-equity firms, an increasingly common buyer in the startup space, still have some learning to do about the creator economy, he said.

Persons: —, John Lambros, Houlihan Lokey, They're, Lambros, upstarts, it's, Permira, That's Organizations: Service, Business, Fortune, Avid, Networks, Publicly, YouTube Locations: Lambros

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