There Are No Girls on the Internet - Ready to leave Twitter? Try Spill instead!

Episode Date: September 20, 2023

Spill is a meme forward, highly visual social media platform that is putting power in the hands of the people who use it.  Kenya Parham, Spill’s Global Vice President of Community and Partnerships, explains how the team is building a new platform that feels like a safe, fun party with all your favorite cousins.  TRY SPILL: https://www.spill.com/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting. Think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than adds supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHeart's twice as large as the next two combined. Learn how podcasting can help your

business. Call 844-844-I-Hart. Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shunker, a cognitive scientist and hosts of the podcast, a slight change of plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes. other plans. I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change. We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes. You can have opinions. You can have like a strong stance. And then there's your body having its own program. Listen to a slight change of plans on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. is a form of survival, you know, to see and be seen, to build community. There are No Girls on the Internet as a production of IHeart Radio and Unbossed Creative.

I'm Bridget Todd, and this is There Are No Girls on the Internet. One of the biggest questions that I'm grappling with these days when it comes to social media is, where are we all going next? The entire social media landscape is shifting. Facebook feels less and less relevant by the day. I mean, is anybody even still on threads? and Twitter is, well, Twitter. When I scroll Twitter these days,

it's clear just how much these platforms are not built for us, with us and mind. It honestly just does not feel good to show up there anymore. And as Twitter's policies get more and more hostile, more and more people like me are jumping ship. And in this time where we're all searching for what's next, a black-owned alternative that tries to put more power and the hands of the people who use their platform

might just be the next big thing. Enter Spill. Spill is a meme-forward, highly visual social media platform where users post spills, as in Spilling the team. The team behind Spill is clear that they want it to be a place where black and brown folks and other traditionally marginalized identities can feel safe showing up, but the platform is for everybody.

And for Kenyaparum, building better and safer technologies is a kind of community love language. My name is Kenya Parham, and I serve as the Global Vice President for Community and Partnerships at Spill. For Kenya, technology is just another in a long career of advocating

for traditionally marginalized communities. So I'm very excited about Spill. I'm very excited to talk about Spill, but if it's okay, I would love to start with you, Kenya. Like, how did you get your start in technology? What brings you to this work? Well, I took a really non-traditional pathway, to becoming a tech executive. I started off in the world of electoral politics and was an entrepreneur

for the better part of a decade. I've always worked at the intersection of my purpose and my passions and so that has meant advocating on behalf of marginalized communities, whether in the world to civic engagement or then transitioning into entertainment and film. I've always been passionate about narratives and the impact that is created from narratives. And so I joined the spill team at the top of this year. And it's been a wild ride ever since. Do you see the work with, you know, being a tech executive? Do you see that work as overlapping with your interest in narratives and stories, particularly for marginalized communities? Here's the thing. The role of just a tech executive, right, is super broad, right? What I do see mad overlap in is the skill set required to be successful at building

community, particularly on behalf of communities that are underrepresented and underserved. So much to my surprise and affirmation, my non-traditional pathway was recognized by the folks who brought me on to this team. And because, you know, imposter syndrome is real, girlfriend. And, you know, I got to tell you, I didn't know if, you know, the route that I took to getting to this place would be seen as qualified to be in a role like this. But what I do know is that, you know, advocating on behalf of communities that are in need, you know, making sure that we redirect resources to the folks and to the communities who stand to benefit the most from receiving. those things looks like politics. It looks like community building. It looks like advocacy. It looks like engagement. And so, you know, just I'm tremendously grateful. I pinch myself every single day. Well, I would love to dig into that because you mentioned imposter syndrome.

And I obviously don't need to tell you that there are not a lot of tech executives that look like us. Did you ever see yourself being somebody who was like that did have the title of global tech executive. And did you ever think that, like, I assume you don't have like a, like, you're not like an engineer. I feel like oftentimes people think that if you don't have some specific hard tech background, you don't really get to take up space in conversations about technology. That's so, it's so real. I mean, yeah, I've always felt like I was put on this earth to do big things. Thanks to my parents, Dr. Thomas Parm and DeVita Hopkins Parm, I am a kid who has had a battery in her back and a tank fuel full of positivity fuel my entire life. Thanks to them. So,

you know, I've always felt, you know, mission-driven. Technology is all around us, right? We're surrounded by technology. You know, whether that's, you know, any tool that we use, to advance insert blank here, right, is a form of tech, right? Language and lexicon is technology. Fashion is technology. You know, culture, right? Tech is culture. And so, you know, I think, I think it's important to always acknowledge that, you know, tech is not just, you know, connecting wires and tubes and infrastructure at all times, right? Tech. is expansive. And whenever we're building new worlds and charting new courses, right, you need a squad full of people who know how to traverse uncharted terrain. And, you know, I love my engineers,

you know what I mean, but they're great at what they do. And we're great at what we do. And together we make an amazing team. So that's such a good way to put it. And that's sort of the framework that we come to around technology on this podcast where it's not just, it's not just, just coding and engineering. It's also culture. It's also media. Like everything comes down to tech. It touches every aspect of how we show up to the world. And I don't want to, you know, be smart to any of your competitor platforms. But I think we see what happens when there's not investments made in the community building or the culture building or the world building. And it's just the engineering aspect. I think we can see where sometimes that isn't, doesn't really

work out so great for the people who are using the platforms. Listen, I mean, I'm only here to talk about Spilb, right? Fair. Not going to get me there, girl. I'm only here to talk about Spilb. But what I will say about that is, you know, we are in a really interesting time right now where having computers in our hands, right, empowers us to do so, so, so much. And, you know, we all hear this, this large scale, you know, call to action for more black and brown folks and marginalized folks and queer folks to get involved in tech, right, in STEM and in STEAM. But now that I'm in this seat, like, and living it, I completely understand how revolutionary it is to be able to take part in building a world that has an opportunity to function better, more holistically, healthier for people.

who look like us differently than the IRL, right? The URL can do things that the IRL can't do. And I, as a black woman, love that and arrive in my seat to do my work every day with a sense of excitement and vigor, knowing that I'm not just creating this world for me, but for everybody else and doing it with some badass teammates who I admire. and, you know, what a joy. You know, and tech also gives us an opportunity to look at, you know, the brilliance of younger generations that are out there innovating in real time,

not because they desire to just go viral, right, but because innovating through technology is a form of survival, you know, to see and be seen, to build community, right? And that's what we're really focused on at Spill. The story of traditionally marginalized people has, always been a story rooted in resilience. We show up in these spaces that are not always built with us in mind, and we innovate. We take the lemons we're given and make lemonade in the form of art, building movements and connections. And Spill is also a story rooted in resilience,

in taking a situation that seems tough and turning it into an opportunity to build something instead. Spill starts with an origin story that might be familiar to a lot of folks in technology right now. A layoff. Alfonso Terrell was working at Twitter a year ago when there was a tumultuous change in leadership. Well, it was one November 4th night, 2002. No, I'm just kidding. He's probably laughing. He's going to laugh when he sees me start this off like that. Alfonso Terrell, our amazing CEO, outgoing global head of social and editorial for Twitter, was a part of the first round of layoffs when that other person.

and fired him on November 4th. And he placed a phone call to our co-founder, DeVaris Brown, who's arguably one of the foremost technologists of our generation. And they had both met on their first day at Twitter some time ago. And, you know, Fons picked up the phone to DeVaris and said, hey, you know, basically, I've been laid off

and it's time to build. And that's when they started it. So everything you see from Spill is, you know, from a phone call that was placed not even a year ago. Wow. Which is incredible. So the story of Spill, then, is really a story about us, like, doing what we always do, taking situations or spaces that are kind of hostile to us and making lemonade out of those lemons.

It really takes having that larger vision to see how those tough moments could actually be used to create something bigger. Listen, you know, yes, yes. And, you know, the story of Spill is a story of preparedness, meets opportunity, a thousand percent, right? We've experienced a couple of different waves of growth along the way, arguably before the technology would say that we were prepared for it, right? But our team, you know, did our best to kind of meet the needs that were exposed by, you know, some of the failures from those other apps. You're being so, like, charitable, right?

And so we, listen, honey, I told you. you I started off in politics. Okay. So, you know, we, but we, you know, preparedness meets opportunity. That's, that's how we got to this place, right? And, and doing it afraid, doing it scared, building it anyway, trusting, going off of what you know, you know, Fons always says you are more right than you think you are, right? You're more right than you even know in terms of the hypotheses and the theories around why this is the time to center us. And we had a lot of different proof points that told us that along the way. I mean, first waitlist sign up for a spill went up in December of 2022,

25,000 signups in 24 hours, 50,000 by the end of the week. You know, are waitless now for iPhone and Android, you know, it's north of 500,000 people. We've got, you know, I can't give out any other numbers than that, but I will just say that we got a healthy amount of people on this beta iPhone only currently app and, you know, are hitting numbers that we thought we would be hitting, you know, next year. And so again, it's just continued validation of our thesis, which is that if you build an ecosystem that centers the most marginalized, the people who drive

culture, who advance culture forward, but unfortunately receive the line share of hate, you know, it creates a healthier ecosystem for everybody, right? It, if we center ourselves, it's not about excluding everybody else. It's just saying we're being demonstrative about who we're building this platform for, about where these opportunities are going to be centered. And we believe that it creates a better opportunity in a healthier social ecosystem for everybody. And that really could be modeled throughout the entire world, right? It really could. What do you think our tech landscape would be like if that were a given? If when people were making platforms, they started out trying to figure out how to make sure that the most marginalized, but also the people who are creating the culture on their platforms, are really the ones that they are centering, that they are listening to, that they are amplifying.

It would look exactly like spill. That's exactly what it would look like. It would be the spilliverse times four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. And you know what? We got it, right? That's why we're here and that's why we're doing this. And there are validation points outside of like, it's not just because of some moral issue, right, or ethical issue of why we need to do this. It actually makes dollars and sense, right? So if we're going to talk about culture drivers, people who advance culture, people who create content that we all share virally across the internet, right? Goldman Sachs released a report talking about the creator economy not too long ago and said that it's, set to approach a half a trillion dollars by 2027, which is going to double in size over the next five years, right? Right now, we're at, you know, $250 billion today. They're expecting it's going

to be around $480 billion, right? That's a creator economy, right? And that's content that is created by underserved groups and people. And we know that it outperforms other content by industry benchmarks. But unfortunately, these content creators don't have safe spaces to show up and be authentically themselves or have the proper tools or compensation models to monetize for their audiences. And then conversely, right, we see big brands, painting street, you know, signs, and renaming placards and making these big pledges to spend ad dollars with multicultural vendors. And they're trying to meet their commitments and struggling to do so, right, and creating these creator funds that don't end up getting spent, right? And so, you know,

we find ourselves at a time right now where the convergence of these things are happening, right? We have a robust creator economy that is thriving. We've got brands that are struggling for a lot of reasons to meet their stated commitments, right? And then we have a group of bold individuals who said, we're going to build this and meet us where we are. And I believe that that has a lot to do with our success and why we've got so many folks at the table ready to link arms with us to do this work. What are some of the ways that Spill is doing things differently in service of doing exactly that? Well, let me just qualify for the people who don't know. Spill is visual conversation that moves at the speed of culture. And on the

app through memes and visual media and conversation. We're building a space that's brewing with creators who are not just creating culture, but also being recognized for the culture that they are creating. We are essentially proving that cultural and technical competence can be symbiotic, right? And so that's everything from, you know, the technology that we're using to keep people safe on the platform, using large language model AI trained by black and queer folks, essentially a more culturally competent version of like a chat, GBT, which allows, again, for people to show up authentically as their best selves, but also keeps folks safe from people who have learned how to move around moderation systems

and use different language, right? It means that we are elevating the value of the content and the culture and what it means to access the culture. And so, you know, clicks, likes and views and the spill of the world, are valued much higher than they are on any other platform, and we have a lot of justifications for why that's the case. And then the third piece is, you know, we are really focused on making sure that creators receive proper attribution

for the heat that they put out there in the world. We are so tired of seeing folks' dances be stolen and our cultural lexicon be reappropriated without folks receiving that compensation. And so, and just attribution, right? You know, just give us the credit for the trends that we set. And if you decide to monetize it, make sure the person who actually created it is at the front of that line, right? And then that they're at the table.

So, you know, that is just a few of the things that we are doing differently. We're basically trying to make it as easy as possible for us to do what we naturally do, which is to create and express ourselves through multiple forms of mixed media using pop culture references and things that exist in our brains, right? We know our group chats be pop, and I know you were part of like five or six, ten of them, right? Meme culture is a big thing. And so we're just trying to create an opportunity for us to do what is most natural and authentic to us in a much safer environment and via tools that aid in our continued creation.

Let's take a quick break. podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. There's that worst singer in the group?

The worst? Yeah. Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, uh, you only got in because your parents made a huge, Donation. The group. The yard herds, right?

That's the name. The Harvard Yard, but they're open. Do you have a name suggestion? We're open. Since you guys are middle aged, one erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny. Run a business and not think. about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHearts twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only IHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. Think podcasting can help your business. Think IHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Call 844-844-I-Hart to get started. That's 844-Ehart.

Hi everyone, I'm Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things. I'm excited to share that I have a new podcast called Mind Over Mountain. In each episode, I interview athletes, adventurers, and adrenaline seekers to discuss the inner landscapes and life experiences that informed and inspired their extraordinary feats. I also bring a bit of advice into the mix so we too can better understand how to face our own seemingly insurmountable challenges. Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to pull out what you already have inside. We're coming into this world, fighting for our lives.

All I'm going to do is pull out what you already got inside. We're there to support and celebrate each other. And that's not like your story versus my story. You're going to walk up and over that dang mountain. You're not just going to put your mind over it. Yep, yep, exactly. And if I can't walk up and over it, I'm going to go through it. Listen to Mind Over Mountain every Thursday on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. and we're back. While the labor of black folks generates engagement, not to mention money for the people who run online platforms, all too often we aren't seeing any of the cash. Remember Peaches Monroe? She created the expression on Fleek on social media and didn't see a dime from it,

even after it was adopted, or taken by everyone from Arby's to Bath and Body Works. Law professor KJ Green argues that both online and offline, black public creativity has always been rendered public domain in ways that can leave black creators getting screwed. Some platforms like TikTok have tried to mitigate this by establishing creator funds meant to pay people out who drive engagement on social media platforms. But Kenya says Spill is doing things differently by building the platform with an eye

toward crediting and compensating creators fairly from the start. Something that you mentioned that I think is so important that I want to come back to because it comes up a lot on the show is this idea of what happens when marginalized creators make something on a platform and then it just gets taken without credit or attribution or compensation. And we've actually looked into some of the academic research around this where it seems to suggest that when something is created on the internet by a black person, there is a dominant understanding that, it, quote, kind of belongs to everyone. And, like, who cares who created it? Who cares who gets credit? It's the internet. It doesn't matter.

But then when those same things are created by non-Black creators, they are seen as much less sort of communal. And it's very interesting to me how platforms can kind of aid to this lack of equality around who gets ownership online. It may sound like we're just complaining, like, oh, I want my attention or I want my credit. But this really matters. Like people have really seen meaningful come-ups off of creating something on the

internet. And the way that our communities are just sort of shut out of that oftentimes. And it's seen as just okay really doesn't sit right with me. And I've never really thought about the way that platforms themselves, the way these platforms are designed, can actually contribute to that. Yeah, it's deep. And I mean, we got to, listen, we can't act like this framework doesn't already exist. We talk about intellectual property all the time, right?

There was a time in our history when black folks in America held the most number of trademarks and patents than anybody, any other ethnic demographic, right? Like, we know what this means, right? There is historical precedent for what happens when we own the things that we put forward. So, you know, in many ways, you got to know where we've been to know where we're going, right,

and to understand how we got to where we are right now. So much like we saw in the music industry in the 90s with hip hop and, you know, a very clear transition of ownership, you know, when these brands like, you know, Combs Global before it was Combs Global, right? Bad Boy, you know, started to emerge, right? And, you know, folks started to run their own record labels and get into the distribution game. And, you know, we saw a shift in what happened to music. what happened to creativity. You can put this moment in time for social and what Spill is doing akin to that. This is the first time that we've really had, you know, spaces like this and an opportunity like this and we're ready to capitalize on it. I would have never put that together, but I think you're right.

And I think that the proof of concept when Spill was first coming together that it's time. I think people are ready to acknowledge that it is the most. marginalized folks who are the ones who make social media platforms what they are and that, you know, there are plenty of platforms. If it wasn't for marginalized people, they wouldn't be what they were. Like, they wouldn't be fun places where people kept showing up. Bridget, be clear, though, right? Like, and I have to check myself on this all the time. You know, that little, that little word global in my title checks me every time because the, don't let the American domestic minority lexicon fool you, Bridget. Like, together we are

the global majority. And the truth is that by 2030, America is going to be more brown than it is not. And so, you know, we are seeking, in my personal goal is for that the creators on spill to essentially become their own media companies, right? I think this is the way that we jump and expand our cultural influence and monetization opportunities outside of just one-time creator and affiliate program models, right, and really start talking about how do we build continuing, sustaining ecosystems for what we already do naturally, right? It's time. And Spill is here to bridge that gap. Wow, that is a far cry from some other platforms where they, you know, people use the word

users and it's like very clear that these other places are just trying to mine you for whatever you have and take whatever, whatever you have from you. And it's like a completely, completely, it feels like a flip of the script to say, actually, we want the folks who show up to our platform to get something out of it, to be building something out of it, to be compensated, to be credited, all of that. We want that to be baked into the experience of showing up on spill. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Back when audio-only social media platform Clubhouse was all the rage in 2020, its creators were pretty open about the fact that one of the ways they got so big was through intention

courting black influencers and celebrities. And it worked. Clubhouse was valued at $1 billion in 2021 and over $4 billion today. But after welcoming Black Voices to the platform, to build it up, it kind of felt like the powers that be didn't actually do anything to make the experience of being there actually feel safe or good for us. Racist and misogynistic harassment was rampant, and it never really felt like Clubhouse did anything to address it. It really felt like Clubhouse built their name off of black folks showing up there and then basically abandoned us. I remember it clearly. At a time when we were all stuck in our houses, craving much-needed connection, it stung. So one question I have is that I think a lot of people, myself included,

have felt kind of burnt by platforms in the past where, you know, I'm thinking of the experience of Clubhouse when we were all, you know, quarantining in the early days of the pandemic, where it felt like a platform that was kind of centering black voices and black folks. And then when it maybe hit a certain peak, that seemed to be all but abandoned. And so for folks who maybe feel like they've been burned in the past by that dynamic and platforms, what do you say to those folks about joining spill? Is that a dynamic that you're familiar with? And what would you say to somebody who is worried about that showing up to a new platform? girl from personal experience i have been you know taken advantage of in influencer programs i have been

been taken for granted i know what it feels like i know what it looks like um i i think that's what also informs my position and the position of you know my colleagues uh and teammates with spill right um our leadership looks like me and you that's not going to change You know, our team is reflective of the teams that we are centering with this app in every way. And that's not going to change. Our terms of service and our community guidelines are super clear. And as we grow, they're only going to get more and more refined. And so, you know, I'd invite everybody to look at what we are saying so that we say what we mean and mean what we say.

accountable to that. It's an invitation. For those many reasons, I can say that I can't imagine a world where anything like that happens. Spill is a company that is a company that is founded on and centered around these particular principles to make sure that marginalized communities and creators receive proper attribution to make sure that brands know how to step to us correctly. And if they need some help, let us bring them to the table and make sure that they know how to come correct. And to make sure that we are treating this group of tastemakers as the stakeholders that we are. So that's not going to happen. But the best thing that I can say is come along for the ride and continue to hold us accountable and we'll show you.

When folks show up to Spill, what are you hoping it feels like? Like, what's the vibe that y'all are trying to curate for the platform? There was a creator, cool urban hippie who posted a picture of the great migration photo who said, this is what Spill feels like right now. Phil Lewis posted an image of the Rugrats as Moses. leading folks across the sea. Kev on stage posted that it feels like a huge cookout and family reunion. And it's busson.

It really is like that. So, you know, I want folks to feel like, you know, you're walking into your, you know, cousins' backyard party where, you know, people and you're ready to meet new people that you don't know. Everybody feels like family after the first 30 seconds. And, you know, by the time you've walked through the threshold, you got a plate in one hand and a sip in the other, and the DJ has, you know, got you mobbing.

And that's it. You know, that's what we want it to feel like. And, you know, the feedback that we've gotten thus far is that, you know, mission accomplished. More after a quick break. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guide, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends,

me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffey. to Bob Odenkirk, to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. There's the worst in the group. The worst?

Yeah. Me. Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard yard, but they're open to change.

We're open. Since you guys are middle-aged, one erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Humor me. I need some jokes to make me seem funny. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ad-supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHeart's twice as large as the next two combined.

So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only IHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. Think podcasting can help your business. Think IHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Call 844-844-I-Hart to get started. That's 844-8-4-I-Hart. American soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramers sending on to Ernie. He's a short for chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boe. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Policic. I'm not worried about Balagan.

I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals.

The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Let's get right back into it. It's interesting to me that the images that people used are like the Great Migration or leading someone.

It does feel like we were in this moment where every time I had an interview or talked to somebody about platforms, It would be like, where are we all going next? Like, what's the next platform? What does it feel like to be launching a place that people are saying, like, might feel a little better, might feel a little more fun, might remind you of what it, like, what brought us to platforms in the first place? In a moment where everybody is searching, what does it feel like to be running a platform like that? A tremendous amount of pressure and responsibility to get it right because it's personal for me, right? This isn't just a job.

This is arguably the nexus of my life's work. And many of my colleagues can say the same thing. Another reason why, you know, this will always be for us, by us. Everyone is welcome who is down with our mission. Let me be clear, right? Spill is not at all, you know, about gatekeeping or excluding those who are aligned with our mission. It doesn't matter if you look like us or not, right? But, you know, we are just, you know, very demonstrative about what we stand for.

And if you're aligned with that, then cool. But it's personal for me and for my colleagues. And so I know we all feel a tremendous amount of just a desire to get it right. We feel very connected to the outcomes that we are projecting are going to come from this endeavor. And very much want to make sure we. we do this thing the way that we're supposed to. You know, we are building with intention, which is why we have to kind of block out some of the calls for people,

you know, they're asking us to build faster or give us this feature right now or what have you. You know, a lot of this has also been an education for our communities who have not had access to beta products in tech for, or as much compared to our white counterparts. And so a lot of people didn't recognize that they were walking into a beta product or what that even meant.

They didn't know. Oh, they're only iPhone only. Oh, they're only a month, a week out of test flight. Oh, they still have a whole product roadmap that they have to fulfill, right? A lot of people didn't recognize that that was the case. And so imagine our surprise to be a pre-seed beta startup app funded to the tune of $3 million at the time in the same line as threads who bumped their timeline up because of us.

Don't think I didn't see that. And all of the others, right? So imagine our surprise to be named amongst the giants. That lets us know again, you know, that this is the time for us, that the market and the demand is there. And that we just got to stay really focused, really disciplined, and keep doing what we're doing. And the sky's the limit for all of us.

I mean, speaking of threads, Mark Zuckerberg, his famously his motto was move fast and break things. And I personally don't think that that ethos gets you intentional spaces that really have taken the time and the intention to build something really, you know, with a lot of thoughtfulness in mind. And I think that when you are building a platform for people who are traditionally marginalized to face things like harassment or bullying and that kind of thing, doxing, just for who they are and showing up, you really don't want to move too fast. And so I wonder, is there, do you ever feel from folks who maybe really likes Bill that they're like, oh, this needs, like, I want it to be open to everyone right away. I want there to be more people right away. Do you, is it difficult to resist the cause to do things really quickly and to be for everybody

right away as opposed to taking it a little bit slower and with a little bit more intention? You know, what we see the most are people wanting all of the features all at once right now. now immediately. That's the, that's the, that's the most pressure that we get. We've actually seen some interesting, you know, folks being very careful and selective about who they give their golden ticket invites out to on spill, you know, that's been some interesting behavior to watch folks be really protective and selective of the space already. You know, we hear that people want the features and, and that excites us because our team, we know our product, roadmap, everybody else is going to find it out in real time. And the stuff that we've got coming

is very, very, very exciting. And it's going to just open up a whole world of opportunity and creativity to fulfill our mission. And as we've stated it, you know, again, I think it's just about us reminding ourselves that we come to the table with decades of experience, all of us combined. And this work didn't just start, you know, when we all took our position here. I'm bringing my, you know, experience, Fonz, our CEO, bringing his breadth of experience. I mean, I don't know if there's anybody more talented and more perfectly positioned to lead us in this endeavor than him, you know, somebody who was, you know, the outgoing, you know, social and editorial head for that former Bluebird app and, you know, Cleo Award winning, Webby Award winning, Ken Lyon Award winning. Come on, right.

We've got some of the best builders and technologists behind us. So this is an A team, y'all, right? Like, this is a really talented team who's bringing their life's work to this space. And we are being met with a hell of a lot of support across the way. So we've got to got what we need to be successful. And our biggest ask for our community is, you know, come on spill, have a good time, trust us, or allow us to earn your trust. And together we're going to do this. We're in this moment that feels like the future of technology is kind of happening right now. What do you see on the horizon as it pertains to technology or platforms? Or what would you like to see in this moment? Like, you know, what do you think is next for us in the space?

Spill is next. What people experience right now on platform is just a drop in the bucket of what we have in store. There are tons of not just features, but really interesting partnerships that we're going to be bringing to the table. Again, blending the IRL and the URL in the advantage of people who are black, brown, queer, and other marginalized groups, right? So we've never seen that before. So I don't want to look past that opportunity right now. I want to stay present in that this is the space that we are cultivating and curating and stepping into right now. And tremendous excitement fills my spirit when I think about what we've yet to do and what we can do.

Okay, so I know you probably can't answer this, but I promised my producer that I would ask. Oh, okay. Wait a minute. I already know you're not going to be able to answer, but. Do you have any sense, any sense at all of when it might be open to everybody and not be invite only? The answer is probably, you can't say, but. The answer, do I have a sense of it? I have a whole sense of it.

Well, you do, but can you share it with us? You got to see, there's a lesson in asking your questions, right? That is fair. Do I have a sense? I have all the senses. I do. Here's what I will say. It's going to be a really big quarter for us.

It's going to be a really big quarter. for us. So get on Spill if you're not already. And I'd be happy to extend a special exclusive for your listeners. I'm going to drop an invite code for y'all. So for the listeners of the There Are No Girls on the Internet podcast, please accept this invitation to join the Spilliverse. You can use the code Spill Mob. That's S-P-I-L-M-O-B as your invite code to get on platform. And I'll see you there. Kenya, you've just made a lot of people very happy because I have literally gotten DMs that are like, can you get me a spill code? Where's a spill code? So you've made a lot of people very happy. You can stop DMing me.

Keniott, this is incredible. I'm I'm rooting for you all. Like, I'm already on spill. I love it. I love how quickly it moves. I love how it, it, you said this earlier and it really sounded correct to me. It feels like what the inside of my head looks like sometimes, where it's references and memes and jokes and video. it feels like taking a walk through the inside of my brain in the best way possible. That's so great. And that makes sense, right? I mean, we are not a modelist at all, right? But there is something to be said that we do have black women as engineers in this product.

We do have black women as the head of community and partnerships, support moderation editorial as well, right? Right? We are in these spaces. And so, you know, it should feel for us by us because it is for us bias. but it is for us, it is by us for us and for everybody who is an alignment with our mission. Bridget, I just want to say congratulations to you. I think what you have done with this podcast is incredible. I am a listener.

I am a supporter. Thank you so much for having me today. And I wish you all of the success. And I better see this in the Spilliverse. You can put this in the Spillverse. Oh, of course, of course. So as people are showing up on Spill, you know, given that it's still in data, what kind of relationship do you hope to have with folks just trying out the platform?

So we are building a reciprocal relationship with our community in spill. And that's never really been done before at this level either. And what that means specifically is an invitation for the community to give us feedback. And that's exactly what this beta stage allows us to do, right? It means, you know, communicate with us, not just help us find the bugs, but let us know what you'd like to see. And I, you know, I'm going to be starting to engage with our creators on a much more, you know, one-to-one level to really understand what types of, you know, activities do you guys, you know, want to be engaging in on and off platform? What types of tools do you need? Specifically, when you create over here, what would make you want to create over here? Like, we really want to

build this space for the creators who, again, are driving culture and having to figure out how to move around weird algorithms on other platforms. We want to make sure that you feel centered and that the tech that you engage with on spill feels like it was designed for you because that's what we're doing. So we are inviting everybody to partake in this beta stage with us and give us this feedback in real time so that when we do make it to the promised land, we can look around and know exactly how we got here, linked left and arm with our cousins who helped us along the way. I'm so glad you added that.

And it goes back to what you were saying about, you know, not everybody has had the experience of, you know, beta testing something. And so if you've never had a platform in beta before or shown up to a platform in beta, this could be your first time to really see what that's about and really help build the platform that you want to see. So I would urge listeners to really take you up on that. Yeah, and brands too, you know, don't sleep. Don't sleep. brands would need to make their way to spill, start engaging with the spilliverse, because we are curating it very intentionally, like I've been saying, you know, a group of folks who we know, and they know set the trends.

But to have us all gathered in one space at one time, celebs and notables, mixed with content creators, mixed with journalists, mixed with, you know, public figures, mixed with everyday folks, right, all in. one beautiful gumbo is a very powerful thing. And they know that. So we need everybody's support to go the long haul. And Bridget, I'm so grateful to have yours. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for being here, Kenya. This was a dream. You are such a good podcast guest. I can't even. I'm so excited. Got a story about an interesting thing in tech or just want to say hi? You can reach us at hello at tangoody.com. You can also find transcripts for today's episode at tangoody.com. There are no girls on the internet was created by me, Bridget Todd. It's a production of IHeart Radio and unbossed creative.

Jonathan Strickland is our executive producer. Tari Harrison is our producer and sound engineer. Michael Amato is our contributing producer. I'm your host, Bridget Todd. If you want to help us grow, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. For more podcasts from Iheart Radio, check out the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Dr. Maya Shunker, a cognitive scientist and hosts of the podcast, a slight change of plans, a show about who we are and who we become when life makes other plans. I wish that I hadn't resisted for so long the need to change. We have to be willing to live with a kind of uncertainty that none of us likes.

You can have opinions, you can have like a strong stance, and then there's your body having its own program. Listen to a slight change of plans on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope From a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice.

Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.