Good morning. We’re so grateful for the support from our Publish community as we navigate the turmoil from the LA fires. Thanks especially to Dude Perfect, who launched a GoFundMe to help Colin and Samir after they both lost their homes. As heavy as the last week has been, seeing so many members of our community support each other has been a big bright spot.

— Hannah Doyle 

Top Takeaways from CES

CES is a buzzy annual tech event in Las Vegas where startups and veteran brands alike show off new tech, from solar-powered cars to AI-powered workout recovery. 

This year, CES put a special emphasis on creators—hosting activations and conversations about brand partnerships and the state of the creator economy. 

We spoke with tech creator Jacklyn Dallas to get the rundown of what creators need to know from the four-day expo →

Creators are getting more access in tech. iJustine and MKBHD snagging conversations with Apple CEO Tim Cook were big gets in 2024, but Dallas expects more creator/CEO chats in the future. 

“One of the things I’m most excited about is getting more access to CEOs. And I think companies are more open to that than a few years ago—CES is a great place to do that,” Dallas, who interviewed electric car startup Rivian’s CEO at this year’s event, told us.

Some big themes that emerged for creators? Lots had to do with (unsurprisingly) AI.

• If 2024 was about rapid advancements for generative AI, 2025 might be about the ways that AI gets into everyday products—like cars. “The NVIDIA CEO on the first night said self-driving cars and robo taxis will be the next multitrillion-dollar industry,” Dallas said. “And I’m bullish on that.” 

• AI and health tech, like a smart mirror with personalized health programs and preventative diagnostics that detect disease early on, also earned significant creator attention.

Zoom out: CES has changed a lot over the last decade—Apple and Google used to unveil new tech at the event, but now they host their own keynotes for major launches. Dallas said that has given other tech companies like Qualcomm and ARM a bigger chance to interface more deeply with creators. 

“Out of all the tech events, it’s the one where you get the most relevant brands in one room,” Dallas said. “From a business perspective, a lot of the partners we work with throughout the year go to CES, and it’s a good time to meet in person.”

Are These the Final Days of TikTok?

On Friday, a group of creators and lawyers representing TikTok appeared before the Supreme Court to argue against a law that requires TikTok to divest from its parent company, ByteDance, by January 19 or face a ban in the US.

• TikTok advocates argued that the law infringes on users’ right to free speech and asked to delay the ban. The Biden administration has defended the law, arguing that TikTok is a national security risk. 

• After about 2.5 hours of arguments, reporters said the court appeared likely to uphold the law.

What to expect this week → The Supreme Court is expected to make a ruling as soon as this week. If they uphold the law, TikTok will 1) be removed from app stores and 2) stop issuing updates in the US on Sunday. Could ByteDance sell before then? TikTok has said a divestiture is “not possible technologically, commercially, or legally.”

What creators are saying → Many think a sale is unlikely and are preparing for a world without TikTok by telling their followers to find them on other platforms. 

A Peek Inside Barstool’s Creator Contracts

What do the deals between Barstool Sports and its creators—like Big Cat, PFT Commenter, and Caleb Pressley—actually look like? 

Last week, Barstool founder Dave Portnoy gave us a glimpse, sharing the details of Barstool’s contract with comedy podcaster Grace O’Malley (who recently left Barstool to start her own podcast with Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network).

• Barstool paid O’Malley a base salary of $175,000 for co-hosting the Plan Bri Uncut podcast with Brianna Chickenfry. She was in the third year of a three-year contract.

• O’Malley received 70% of revenue when Barstool sold a sponsorship on her personal social media accounts.

• Portnoy said Barstool tried to negotiate a new contract with O’Malley for a new show. He said they offered O’Malley her same $175,000 salary with a 50/50 split on all revenue after Barstool recouped O’Malley’s base pay.

👀 Creator Moves

• Fashion industry podcast The Cutting Room Floor is hiring a podcast video editor to level up its production and branded content.

• Epic Gardening is looking for a video editor who can turn around 5–7 short videos per week.

• Tejas Hullur is hiring an NYC-based YouTube editor proficient in Adobe Premiere Pro.

Looking to bring on new team members? You can post opportunities on our (free) job board here.

🔥 Press Worthy

• X is rolling out labels for parody accounts.

• Comedy creator Brooke Averick is writing a romance novel.

• Songwriters are boycotting a Spotify-hosted Grammy’s party, citing the platform’s reduced royalty rates for songwriters and publishers.

• Open AI and Google are paying creators for their unused videos to train AI.

• NYC lifestyle creator Taylor Bell unpacks how she made money her first year as a full-time creator.

_{On Friday, we said Charisma on Command co-founder Charlie Houpert was leaving the channel. That’s not accurate—Houpert is now the sole owner of the channel. Sorry about the error.}