#15 — Taylor Lorenz on the creator economy, online entrepreneurship, the changing media landscape, & more

Li Jin and Nathan Baschez interview Taylor Lorenz, a technology reporter for the New York Times covering internet culture. Her reporting is consumed avidly by venture capitalists, founders, and anyone curious about how the internet is shaping culture and how humans express themselves. 

She has written about topics like TikTok cults, a Discord community called the Gen Z Mafia, Triller poaching talent from other platforms, TikTok mansions, and other very online topics. Before joining The New York Times in 2019, she was a technology and culture writer at The Atlantic and The Daily Beast.

Here on Means of Creation, we’ve been following her work for a very long time. She understands more about the creator ecosystem than basically anyone else. 

In this conversation, we talk to Taylor about:
- What we can learn from influencers/creators about the future of entrepreneurship in America
- Why creators are finally getting the recognition they deserve among VCs and technologists
- The term “passion economy” and whether it’s an apt phrase to describe the growing contingent of people who are making a living online
- The tensions between tech VCs and journalists
- Citizen journalism and the evolving media landscape
- How privilege plays out in the passion economy 
- And more!

Related links:
everything.substack.com
meansofcreation.substack.com

Show theme music: Compassion by Stefan Kartenberg