Patreon's Vision: Moving Beyond Influencer Culture to Build Lasting Creator-Fan Relationships

In an era dominated by algorithmic feeds and attention-driven content, Patreon cofounder and CEO Jack Conte is championing a different approach to the creator economy. Having built a platform that has paid out over $10 billion to creators, Conte envisions an internet that prioritizes meaningful connections over fleeting clicks and views.

The Creator vs. Influencer Distinction

Conte makes a clear distinction between what he calls 'creators' and 'influencers,' expressing particular disdain for the latter term. 'Influencer is such a bad word,' Conte stated in a recent interview with WIRED. 'It's such [a reflection of] the way a brand thinks about an artist. What is the commodity in you that I can extract and use for my benefit? It is your influence.'

For Conte, the term 'creator' represents artists who build loyal fanbases willing to pay for their work, while 'influencer' describes those focused on extracting value through attention and brand partnerships. This distinction lies at the heart of Patreon's mission to support creators who produce work that fans find valuable enough to pay for directly.

Addressing the TikTokification Problem

Conte identifies what he calls the 'TikTokification' of the internet as a fundamental challenge for creators and fans alike. 'The internet has moved from being a follow-based subscription system where you would choose who you want to interact with into an algorithmically curated format where you don't decide what you see—the platform decides what you'll see,' he explains.

The result, according to Conte, is that users see hundreds of creators in a single day without forming deep relationships with any of them. 'That is bad for fans, because I think you lack the depth of connection with one person over time. It's bad for creators, because it makes it really hard to build a business and a community.'

Building Systems for Value, Not Just Attention

Patreon's approach represents a fundamental shift from platforms optimized for maximizing screen time. 'Most of the internet is singularly focused on optimizing one metric: time spent in that app,' Conte notes. 'Time spent creates all types of perverse incentives for the platform, for the consumer, for the advertiser, for the creator.'

Instead, Patreon focuses on building systems that optimize for value rather than mere attention. 'What we want to do is build a system where the incentive is stuff that is valuable,' Conte explains. The platform measures success through what people are willing to pay for and how they maintain connections with creators over extended periods.

Advice for Aspiring Creators

For those looking to build sustainable careers as creators, Conte offers straightforward advice: 'Don't compromise. Make something beautiful. Make something important. Make something that you love, deeply care about.' He cautions against over-optimizing for algorithmic performance at the expense of artistic integrity.

'Every time I've over-rotated in that direction I look back at the end of three years and I have this feeling of like what the fuck am I doing with my life? Why am I making all this stuff that I don't even care about but that will perform?' Conte reflects. 'That outcome-oriented artistry is not why kids get into the game of being an artist.'

Navigating the AI Challenge

Conte sees parallels between the current AI landscape and the early days of online content creation, when platforms used creator content without proper compensation. 'I think it's crazy that creators' work is being used to train these models and then generating hundreds of billions of dollars of value, and creators are not partaking in that value creation,' he states.

While Patreon doesn't prohibit creators from using AI tools, the company maintains a cautious approach. 'We don't train models on creator-generated works; we don't do that stuff,' Conte emphasizes. He believes that truly innovative AI art will eventually emerge, moving beyond simple replication of existing media forms.

The Path Forward

As Patreon continues to grow, Conte remains committed to maintaining the company's independence and mission-focused approach. The platform's success in paying out $10 billion to creators serves as proof that 'art and artists are valuable,' countering the narrative that creative work lacks economic worth in digital ecosystems.

Conte's vision represents a fundamental rethinking of how creative work should be valued and supported online—one that prioritizes lasting relationships over temporary attention and recognizes that true artistic value extends far beyond view counts and engagement metrics.