Lauren and Josh dive into a wild week that saw Roblox shatter concurrent user records thanks to a viral developer beef over a game called "Italian Brainrot." The duo unpacks how this grassroots event, which supported MrBeast and Mark Rober's Team Water initiative, amassed 47 million simultaneous players...and what it means for youth culture and platform safety. Next: YouTube's new Hype feature, a discovery tool designed to spotlight channels with under 500,000 subscribers. They discuss the mechanics, its potential impact on discoverability, and the future possibility of viewers being able to purchase Hype for their favorite creators. Finally: YouTube's creator-heavy partnership with the NFL. They cover the exclusive kickoff game stream and the use of the Watch With feature, which will allow top creators like iShowSpeed to officially co-stream the game, signaling a massive shift in live sports distribution.Also: Spotify slides into the DMs with a new messaging feature, and YouTube is caught automatically enhancing Shorts with AI, much to the dismay of creators.00:00 Intro: Lauren's First Book Club02:55 How Italian Brainrot Led to a Roblox Record07:22 The Dangers of Massive Youth Platforms08:50 YouTube's Hype Feature for Small Creators Arrives in the U.S.12:10 How The Hype Button Actually Works15:01 Should Viewers Be Able to Buy Hype?18:48 YouTube's Game-Changing NFL Partnership20:06 Creators Like iShowSpeed Will Officially Co-Stream NFL Games22:52 The Power Shift from Experts to Creators25:48 Upload: Spotify is Adding DMs29:20 Download: YouTube is Using AI to Enhance Shorts Without Asking31:48 A Parent's Reaction to the Roblox Story32:50 OutroCreator Upload is your creator economy podcast, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Joshua Cohen.Follow Lauren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schnipper/Follow Josh: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuajcohen/Original music by London Bridge: https://www.instagram.com/londonbridgemusic/Edited and produced by Adam Conner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamonbrand
