Have you heard? Schlep hits back at Roblox, ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ is golden, and AI slop makes bank.

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

This week, Roblox is mired in a bitter feud related to child safety, Netflix’s hit film is a box office sensation, and AI slop is turning into a lucrative revenue stream.

Creator commotion

The Schlep situation just keeps getting messier. The sandbox platform says it banned one of its stars because his hunt for child predators took “the law into his own hands.” Schlep, however, isn’t buying it, and he scolded Roblox in an X tirade. It’s hard to see how Roblox will come out of this situation looking like the good guys, and meanwhile, Schlep’s audience is growing quickly.

Jake Paul’s boxing career is coming back to Netflix. After his clash with Mike Tyson set new platform records, the “Problem Child” is set to return to the ring on November 14 against Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Paul’s critics will be happy to hear that he has chosen an opponent who is close in age to him.

“Jakura” is so over. The pairing of streamers Jasontheween and Sakura helped turn Funny Mike’s Streamer Prom into a must-watch event. Unfortunately for the Jakura shippers, Jason recently announced that Sakura will no longer appear on his stream. Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The biz

KPop Demon Hunters successfully sealed the honmoon during its theatrical run. Netflix bet big on the animated hit by launching a sing-along event in movie theaters across the country. The numbers from that run are now in, and they confirm that KPop Demon Hunters is still as “golden” as its lead single: It earned between $18 million and $20 million over its big weekend, according to Bloomberg.

TikTok Live is big business for streamers. A report from The Ankler claims that the biggest draws on TikTok’s live-streaming hub can take home as much as $3 million per month. If you didn’t already know why ByteDance’s valuation is so high, now you do.

Jesser’s Bucketsquad brand makes it into Dick’s Sporting Goods. YouTube’s favorite basketball creator has turned his content operation in a multimedia enterprise. A placement in one of America’s largest sporting goods chains is just the latest feather in the cap of this 26-year-old baller.

The latest tech

AI slop is more than just meaningless spam. AI-generated videos featuring chaotic scenes have started popping up across short-form video platforms, and the returns have been significant. One slop creator claimed to make $9,000 in a single month from his videos. Maybe YouTube will be able to crack down on that category, but it feels like the weird cats, dogs, babies, and Jesuses are here to stay.

Perplexity’s AI technology is Theo Von’s new sideman.

On episodes of his hit podcast This Past Weekend, Von will consult Perplexity’s bots to hit his guests with follow-up questions and fact-check their responses. If Von is the internet’s answer to the late-night talk show, then Perplexity is his Paul Shaffer — and something about that just makes sense.

Now you can use your brainwaves to play video games. Twitch streamer Perri Karyal developed a device that allows her to use her brain to play video games — no handheld controller necessary. I can only imagine the bizarre Twitch subgenres that could pop up if Karyal’s invention makes it to the masses.

The biz

Taskmaster‘s 20th season will feature day-and-date YouTube releases. We recently wrote about the novel distribution strategy that has turned the British game show Taskmaster into a YouTube hit. For the program’s 20th season, its producers are doubling down. For the first time, Taskmaster episodes will be available on YouTube in the U.S at the same time they premiere on British TV.

Is the video podcast YouTube’s path to Emmy consideration? In the wake of Taylor Swift‘s appearance on the New Heights podcast, a fresh piece in Variety argues that video podcasts could revitalize a talk show category that losing some of its longtime stalwarts. If YouTube can’t get its homegrown creators into the Emmys, maybe this is the next best thing.

Unwell’s next podcast will cover sorority life. Alex Cooper’s media company put out a call to find sorority sisters who are interested in updating the internet on the Greek life experience. With #BamaRush taking over feeds every August, this sort of project is a natural next step.

The internet is a strange place

The American Bible Society is using AI to reach Gen Z. As silly as that headline may sound, it’s true — and backed up by some prevailing trends. Weird AI-generated videos featuring God and Jesus rank among the most popular clips on YouTube Shorts, so I can understand why the American Bible Society would find today’s tech to be divinely inspired.

Not into the Bible? The Army is willing to reach you via Instagram, too. The U.S. Army’s influencer marketing partnerships could be the key that unlocks a new wave of recruits. “War propaganda is so back,” replied one commenter who encountered U.S. Army sponcon in the wild.

Or if God or the Army don’t do it for you, there’s always Democrats. Tech and culture reporter Taylor Lorenz took to Wired to unravel a dark money scheme that paid influencers up to $8,000 per month to push Democratic talking points. The right-wing has cultivated a powerful cadre of influencer voices on social media, and apparently, the opponents of the GOP want to bring their base online, too.