The Creator Economy's New Operating Logic: What Is 2026 Coming With The creator economy will double from $250 billion to $500 billion by 2027.  Brand budgets are shifting from traditional media to individual creators, who now function as the distribution layer for entertainment, education, and commerce. The question has changed. Not whether creators can monetize, but whether they can build businesses that survive their platforms. THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF VIRALITY The standard critique positions algorithmic dependency as structural weakness. This misreads the economics. Algorithms are infrastructure. Replicating equivalent distribution would cost millions and require years of network effects.  The problem isn't platforms—it's treating them as destination rather than channel. MrBeast spends over $1 million per YouTube video . This is customer acquisition at scale.  His Feastables brand, launched through YouTube in 2022, generates over $10 million annually through re...