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☆ A food creator with almost 14 million followers shares his earnings from Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook and how he's fundraising to donate meals for unhoused people
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

He's earned five figures so far this year directly from YouTube, Facebook, and Snapchat. Daoud started creating content in 2015, at age 13, by filming YouTube videos. Today, Daoud has almost 14 million followers across Snapchat , YouTube , TikTok , and Facebook . Platform Earnings YouTube $9,380 Facebook $9,265 Snapchat $4,704Daoud earns money directly from platforms' ad-revenue-share programsDaoud earns money directly from YouTube and Facebook through ads for long-form content. The money he's earned directly from Facebook so far this year is only around $100 less than what he's earned from YouTube.

Persons: Wasil Daoud, He's, Daoud, he's, TikTok, It's, it's, Jellysmack, unhoused Organizations: YouTube, Facebook, TikTok Locations: Snapchat, Los Angeles , California, New Jersey, LA

☆ Snapchat users react with confusion after the app's AI chatbot mysteriously posts its own story and then refuses to answer questions about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Snapchat's My AI posted its own story and was not responding to messages, according to users. Snap told Insider that the AI chatbot had experienced an outage that had since been fixed. Exactly what the AI's story showed wasn't clear, and the impacted Snapchat users quickly took to other social media platforms to post about being confused and slightly frightened. "Hello I confronted Snapchat AI now she's not replying what is thisssss," the user posted in all caps. "Someone tell me why tf my Snapchat ai is posting Snapchat stories lmaooo," another Snapchat user posted to X.

Persons: Snapchat's, chatbot, Brian Long, Long, Snapchat

☆ Snapchat is paying augmented-reality developers for silly, viral lenses, opening up a new way for creators to earn beyond branded effects
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Snapchat is launching a new fund for augmented-reality lens creators. Traditionally, AR creators have leaned on branded effects to make money. For years, augmented-reality creators who make amusing visual effects for Snapchat have relied on brand work to make money. It's also tested a program where AR creators could charge users for access to variations and upgrades of certain lenses. Other social-media platforms have also recently launched funding programs for AR creators.

Persons: Philip Walton, he'd, Walton, we're, Joseph Darko, It's, TikTok Organizations: Inc, Developer Locations: United States, India, Mexico

☆ Here's exactly how much I made at Google, Snap, and Cisco in non-technical roles
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Aria Yang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Jonathan Javier is a former product operations analyst at Google, Snap, and Cisco. I graduated from UC Riverside and always wanted to work in the tech industry in non-tech roles focusing on strategy, sales operations, and advisory. Cisco: Go-to-market strategy and operations analyst$90,000 base salary + $10K bonus + $20K stock optionsI left Google for Cisco for two main reasons. You need to build your network early on to land your dream jobBuilding your network early on makes a big difference in job hunting. That's why it pays off to build the network early on.

Persons: Jonathan Javier, Jonathan, Snapchat, It's, Aria Yang Organizations: Google, Cisco, UC Riverside, LinkedIn, Meta, Network Locations: Snapchat

☆ Meta is trying to catch up with ChatGPT with new AI chatbots that speak like famous figures including Abraham Lincoln, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta could soon be launching AI chatbots that speak like famous people including Abraham Lincoln. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is hoping to retain users by introducing chatbots that rival ChatGPT. Meta is exploring plans to launch AI chatbots as soon as next month that imitate famous figures, including Abraham Lincoln, as it scrambles to retain users and see off the threat from ChatGPT, a new report says. However, Meta has lacked a more consumer-facing, engaging interface like ChatGPT or Snapchat's My AI chatbot. The FT report added that the chatbots will aim to offer users fresh search functions as well as recommendations.

Persons: Abraham Lincoln, Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI's, Zuckerberg, Meta Organizations: Financial Times, Morning, Financial, Meta, Facebook

☆ Snapchat augmented-reality creators can now earn thousands of dollars for lenses that go viral
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Snapchat is launching a new fund for augmented-reality lens creators. Traditionally, AR creators have leaned on branded effects to make money. For years, augmented-reality creators who make amusing visual effects for Snapchat have relied on brand work to make money. A Snap spokesperson declined to share the total amount of funds available to AR creators, but said that "many creators" will earn rewards each month. It's also tested a program where AR creators could charge users for access to variations and upgrades of certain lenses.

Persons: Philip Walton, he'd, Walton, we're, Joseph Darko, It's, TikTok Organizations: Inc, Developer Locations: United States, India, Mexico

☆ The European Space Agency jokingly asks Mark Zuckerberg if he will start making rockets like Elon Musk after Threads launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The European Space Agency joined in on the jokes around Wednesday's launch of Threads. In a post tagging Mark Zuckerberg, the ESA said: "Do you want to start making rockets?" The European Space Agency joined in on all the memes and jokes around Wednesday's launch of Threads – the new Twitter competitor app from Meta. The account, which currently has 122,000 followers on the new app, tagged Mark Zuckerberg in a post that asked: "Do you want to start making rockets?" Either way, the space agency is one of the first companies to gain attention on Threads.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, TikTok Organizations: European Space Agency, ESA, Meta, Musk's SpaceX

☆ Threads, Twitter and Mark Zuckerberg's long history of copycat apps and features
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Nicolas Vega | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Zuckerberg's latest not-quite-innovation comes in the form of Threads, an Instagram-based Twitter competitor. Musk, meanwhile, replied with a laughing emoji to a Tweet saying that Threads was a straight copy-and-paste of Twitter. For every copycat product that Zuckerberg has rolled out over the years to great success, others have failed to gain traction. "Despite all the frustration," Ives says, "many people start their day with coffee, brushing their teeth and looking at Twitter." Here are some notable copycat apps and features rolled out under Zuckerberg's leadership.

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Zuckerberg, hasn't, Dan Ives, Ives, it's Organizations: Facebook, News, Meta, Twitter, Wedbush Securities, Mastodon

☆ A new type of creator is taking over Snapchat: Giving fans constant access to their lives, posting hundreds of times a day, and raking in cash
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Marta Biino | Dan Whateley | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"Even if it's a day where I'm super tired and I'm not doing anything, I'll be like, 'Guys, I am doing nothing all day. Compared to YouTube videos, or even content for short-video platforms like TikTok, Snapchat stories require less effort to produce. "The privacy thing is kind of something you take with being a content creator," Leilani Green, a beauty and makeup creator with 845,000 subscribers on Snapchat, told Insider. Rick Lox, a food creator with around 215,000 Snapchat subscribers, said he sets dedicated times in the morning, afternoon, and evening to upload stories. TikTok and YouTube's attempts at sharing in-stream ad revenue with creators for short videos has produced measly payouts thus far.

Persons: Snapchat, Influencer Alyssa McKay, I'm, McKay, she's, Truman, Eloise Head, —, Alyssa McKay, Jacques Slade, Dave Roter, Noam Galai, Rick, Francis Roberts, " Roberts, YouTuber David Dobrik, Brandom Baum, monetization, Matthew, that's, it's, Jim Louderback Organizations: Inc, Snap's, YouTube Locations: Snapchat, New York

"Even if it's a day where I'm super tired and I'm not doing anything, I'll be like, 'Guys, I am doing nothing all day. Compared to YouTube videos, or even content for short-video platforms like TikTok, Snapchat stories require less effort to produce. "The privacy thing is kind of something you take with being a content creator," Leilani Green, a beauty and makeup creator with 845,000 subscribers on Snapchat, told Insider. Snapchat may be incentivizing creators to broadcast every minute of their lives, which isn't for everyone. TikTok and YouTube's attempts at sharing in-stream ad revenue with creators for short videos has produced measly payouts thus far.

☆ Instagram appears to be developing an AI chatbot with 30 different personalities to choose from
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Instagram appears to be testing out an AI chatbot, according to a mobile developer. The chatbot could answer questions, give advice, and help users write messages. Earlier this year, Snapchat released its own AI chatbot to generally negative reviews. Users will be able to choose between 30 different personalities for the AI agents, Paluzzi says. The company is developing a way for advertisers to create and test ads using AI.

Persons: Instagram, Snapchat, Alessandro Paluzzi, Paluzzi, Zuckerberg Organizations: Meta

☆ Is Twitter's new CEO, Linda Yaccarino, being set up to fall off the 'glass cliff'?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Rebecca Knight | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk appointed Linda Yaccarino, a former NBCUniversal exec, to succeed him as CEO of Twitter. Amid Twitter's turmoil, some suggest that Yaccarino could fall prey to the so-called "glass cliff." While men often glide on a "glass escalator" to the corner office, women often confront a "glass ceiling." "I wish we were seen as good leaders in good times, too." I wish we were seen as good leaders in good times, too."

☆ TikTok has a new program that will pay augmented-reality creators up to $50,000 per month
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

TikTok is earmarking $6 million to pay creators that make popular augmented-reality filters. Creators earn a base of $700 and up to $14,000 for effects that appear in at least 500,000 videos. TikTok launched on Tuesday a new $6 million rewards program for augmented-reality creators who use its AR platform, Effect House, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider. Augmented reality has become an increasingly important feature for social-entertainment platforms like TikTok and Instagram as AR effects drive millions of video creations. AR creators can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars by making custom effects for brands and building out careers as augmented-reality developers.

☆ Snapchat's vision of the future has dystopian vibes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Snap executives took the stage on Tuesday to pitch its social app to brands and ad agencies. The company said Snapchat was one of the last places for real and authentic relationships. But in highlighting one-way relationships with influencers and AI, its pitch felt dystopian. Snapchat is the one of the last places for "authentic" and "real" relationships, and therefore, a great place for brands to sell products, the company said. "We created a space for people to truly be themselves, and all along we've been building for a future that is grounded in reality."

☆ Snapchat’s new AI chatbot is already raising alarms among teens and parents
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The feature is powered by the viral AI chatbot tool ChatGPT – and like ChatGPT, it can offer recommendations, answer questions and converse with users. The net effect is that conversing with Snapchat’s chatbot may feel less transactional than visiting ChatGPT’s website. Snapchat's new AI chatbot. “I snapped a picture … and it said ‘nice shoes’ and asked who the people [were] in the photo,” a Snapchat user wrote on Facebook. One user wrote on Facebook that she’s been asking My AI for homework help.

☆ Snapchat's AI tool is a total fail with users
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Snapchat's AI tool made its debut across the application last week, and users aren't loving it. Only Snapchat+ subscribers can opt out of the service, which is powered by OpenAI's ChatGPT. My AI, Snapchat's ChatGPT-powered chatbot, launched to all Snapchat users earlier this month, and ever since, the app has been met with a surge of one-star reviews in the App Store. The feature, which offers a more stripped down version of OpenAI's now ubiquitous tool, was first introduced to Snapchat+ subscribers at the end of February. My own screenshotThe tool's access of personal information — including a user's location — has also been criticized for being creepy.

☆ Anyone can now use Snapchat's 'My AI' chat bot and the memes about 'horrifying' messages have arrived
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Snapchat launched its My AI feature to Snapchat+ subscribers in February. Now that the chat bot is available to all, memes and concerns about the feature are emerging. Snapchat's My AI chat bot is now available to non-paying users, and it's already the subject of hilarious memes and genuine concerns. As of Sunday , My AI is available for regular Snapchat users to chat to, and many are already posting about their strange conversations. Those who've tested out the feature took to TikTok to share their jokes and concerns about the chat bot.

☆ Snapchat breaks down how creators can qualify to make money from ad-revenue sharing, as it expands access to the program
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Dan Whateley | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Snapchat is widening its stories ad-revenue sharing program to more creators. The expansion comes as competitors YouTube and TikTok also test ad-revenue sharing with users. Snapchat is opening up ad-revenue sharing to more creators, the company announced during its partner summit on Wednesday. TikTok began testing an ad-revenue sharing program called Pulse for creators with at least 100,000 followers last year. Outside of its stories ad program, Snap pays creators via other initiatives like content challenges and a fund for its short-video feature Spotlight.

☆ Snap expands AI chatbot with ability to create images
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Sheila Dang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Snap's chatbot, called My AI, which can help users with everything from writing poems to searching for information, was built using startup OpenAI's ChatGPT technology. My AI is now available free to all Snapchat users and can be invoked to respond to questions in conversations between friends on Snapchat, Snap said on Wednesday. My AI's ability to respond to users with its own AI-generated images will be available first on Snapchat+, which has reached 3 million subscribers, Snap said. Snap analyzes conversations with My AI and has found that 99.5% of the chatbot's responses adhere to Snapchat's community guidelines, Spiegel said. The venture could also help Snap diversify beyond digital advertising, which currently makes up the majority of its revenue.

☆ Big Tech employees are getting culled. Their European colleagues get stronger labor laws and softer landings.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

European Big Tech employees have better labor protections"There are regulations in Europe that apply to collective situations, based on European law: the so-called Mass Dismissal Directive," said Dr. Jordan. But in January, Twitter employees were reported to have been paid just one month's severance, according to CNN. Twitter employees in other European hubs such as Germany, Spain, Ireland, and the UK are also pushing back, with the help of the countries' labor laws and unions. Twitter employees in Germany have also worked with the Verdi union to push Twitter into making a better severance offer, Fortune reported. The process could take months instead of weeks, Brittin added — another testament to Europe's stronger labor protections for its employees.

☆ Leaked documents show how Snapchat's lucrative Snap Stars program pays influencers and best practices the company shares with creators
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Creators who are part of the Snap Stars program are eligible for the ad-revenue-share beta. When asked about the ad program's eligibility criteria by Insider, Snap declined to comment. Meanwhile, Snap Stars who aren't in the beta program are posting more on the platform in the hopes they'll be selected for this financially lucrative opportunity. "I was really excited because being a Snap Star really helps with your growth," he said. A document for creators shows Snap's best practices for postingSnap has sent some Snap Stars guidelines with best practices for posting.

☆ Google Glass was just discontinued — again — raising questions about whether anyone still cares about AR devices
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Aaron Mcdade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The original Google Glass was axed in 2015, and reintroduced as a business-focused product in 2017. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. An older version of Google Glass, the latest business-focused version of which was discontinued Wednesday. Ultimately, the lofty price point of Google Glass, as well as privacy concerns tied to the camera, led to its lack in mainstream acceptance and subsequent discontinuation in 2015. The latest version is "built for creators looking to push the limits of immersive AR experiences," according to the product's website.

☆ As Big Tech employees get culled, their European colleagues get stronger labor laws and softer landings
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Big Tech layoffs at Meta, Twitter, Amazon and Snap have laid off thousands of workers globally. Until recently, tech employees haven't had to think too seriously about mass layoffs. European Big Tech employees have better labor protections"There are regulations in Europe that apply to collective situations, based on European law: the so-called Mass Dismissal Directive," said Dr. Jordan. But in January, Twitter employees were reported to have been paid just one month's severance, according to CNN. Twitter employees in Germany have also worked with the Verdi union to push Twitter into making a better severance offer, Fortune reported.

At some Silicon Valley Bank branch locations in California, depositors gathered early Friday to attempt to get their cash out, fearing it could be inaccessible in the coming days. It has had financial relationships with a who’s who of Silicon Valley firms over the years, including Snapchat's parent Snap Inc (SNAP.N). A locked door to a Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) location on Sand Hill Road is seen in Menlo Park, California, U.S. March 10, 2023. A Silicon Valley Bank spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment sent Friday. As of Friday, FarmboxRx’s funds were still tied up with Silicon Valley Bank.

March 10 (Reuters) - The sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank on Friday sent shockwaves through the startup community, which has come to view the lender as a source of reliable capital, particularly for some of tech’s biggest moonshots. It has had financial relationships with a who’s who of Silicon Valley firms over the years, including Snapchat's parent Snap Inc (SNAP.N)Snap declined to comment. A Silicon Valley Bank spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment sent Friday. Uncertainty swept through Silicon Valley as startup founders and venture capital firms worried they could, among other things, fail to make payroll. As of Friday, FarmboxRx’s funds were still tied up with Silicon Valley Bank.

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