This isn't news to creators ' Patreon CEO Jack Conte has ardently banged this drum for years ' but throughout the year, the industry at large has reacted to this phenomenon in different ways, from the influencers to the streamers. According to the executives that TechCrunch spoke to about the near future of the creator economy, creators are finding new ways to harness and cultivate their relationships with their followers ' some acting as a salve to AI slop, while others are flooding the zone with a new form of slop themselves. Box's company, LTK, connects creators with brands through affiliate marketing, where creators earn commissions on products they recommend. The business model depends entirely on audiences retaining trust in individual creators. Given concerns about fragmentation in the creator-audience relationship, this could pose an existential threat to the company. 'If you asked me at the beginning of 2025, 'Hey, is trust in creators going to go up or down'' I would have...
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