Twitch is getting rid of all members of the Safety Advisory Council it formed in 2020 and replacing them with creators from its ambassador program.
The council was intended to “enhance Twitch’s approach to issues of trust and safety,” and was involved in platform operations like the drafting of new policies/policy updates and the development of new features intended to protect streamers–particularly those in marginalized groups who may be targeted by hate raids and other forms of harassment.
Its members included Twitch partner streamers cupahnoodle, ferociouslysteph, and zizaran; Twitch moderators Doladdar and PonyNamedTony; and industry experts Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center; Emma Llansó, director of the Center for Democracy and Technology‘s Free Expression Project; and Dr. T.L. Taylor, co-founder and director of inclusivity-in-gaming org AnyKey.
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Per a report from CNBC, Twitch pulled all members into a meeting May 6 and told them their contracts were being terminated May 31, and they wouldn’t be paid for the second half of 2024.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNBC council members were paid between $10,000 and $20,000 each per 12-month period of service.
“Looking ahead, the Safety Advisory Council will primarily be made up of individuals who serve as Twitch Ambassadors,” Twitch said in an email to the council members.
A Twitch spokesperson confirmed that the platform is tapping “new council members to offer fresh, diverse perspectives.” The spokesperson also told CNBC that it has 180 creators in its ambassador program, and “with this new format, we’ll be able to pull in even more voices and perspectives.”
The spokesperson refused to comment on whether Twitch plans to pay creator council members.
This decision comes after a rough couple of years, both financially and optically, for Twitch. It’s done cost-cutting with several major rounds of layoffs (including one where it laid off 15% of its Trust & Safety team), made a string of baffling (and often quickly reversed) policy changes, and dealt with the growing popularity of challengers like Kick.
But it’s also gotten positive feedback from creators about its still relatively new CEO Dan Clancy. He’s made it a point to speak with creators, both on stream and IRL, to hear their concerns, and is willing to admit Twitch has some things it needs to work on. Restructuring the Safety Advisory Council to be made up entirely of streamer members could give Twitch a yet closer look at its creator community’s wants and needs.
