LA Tech Updates: TikTok pays Creators as Rivals Dig In, Amazon Reportedly Eyes Sears, J.C. Penny Stores

Taylor Soper, GeekWire
Taylor Soper is GeekWire's managing editor, responsible for coordinating the newsroom, planning coverage, and editing stories. A native of Portland, Ore., and graduate of the University of Washington, he was previously a GeekWire staff reporter, covering beats including startups and sports technology. Follow him @taylor_soper and email taylor@geekwire.com.
LA Tech Updates: TikTok pays Creators as Rivals Dig In, Amazon Reportedly Eyes Sears, J.C. Penny Stores
Photo by Bryan Angelo on Unsplash

Here are the latest updates on news affecting Los Angeles' startup and tech communities. Sign up for our newsletter and follow dot.LA on Twitter for more.

Today:

  • TikTok Pays Creators as Rivals Dig In
  • Amazon Wants to Use Sears and J.C. Penny Stores as Fulfillment Centers: WSJ

          TikTok Doles Out Money to Creators, Batting Away Rivals

          Tiktok announced today the first receipts of a $200 million creator fund including several Los Angeles-based app stars. It comes as the social app faces increased competition from those trying to lure away talent and the threat of an outright ban.

          The company has promised to up their funds for rising U.S. creators to $1 billion over the coming three years.

          Among the 19 selected so far is Los Angeles-based Alex Stemplewski, a photographer who shares the impromptu photo shoots he has with strangers in public with his 9.6M followers.

          There's also Justice Alexander, one of the top Latino creators on the app, who captures quick video of the many pranks he plays on his girlfriend and daughter with his 5.4M followers.

          Well-known TikTok-er David Dobrik recently gave away a Tesla to one of his more than 20M followers as part of a sweepstakes for the most heartfelt story.

          The Creator Fund will open their applications in the middle of the month for anyone 18 years or older looking to expand their work on Tiktok. To be considered, creators must have 10,000 followers or at least 10,000 video views in the last 30 days and follow community guidelines.

          President Trump recently signed an executive order that will ban the Chinese-owned company by September 20th unless it's sold to an American company before that date. TikTok has responded by threatening legal action.

          Amazon Wants to Use Sears and J.C. Penny Stores as Fulfillment Centers: WSJ

          live.staticflickr.com

          Amazon is in talks with mall operator giant Simon Property Group to convert Sears and J.C. Penney department stores into package distribution centers, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

          The discussions come as Amazon continues to grow its e-commerce empire which has helped contribute to the downfall of brick-and-mortar retailers including Sears and J.C. Penney, which both filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That trend accelerated with the pandemic as malls closed and millions of consumers rely on Amazon for online shopping.

          Shares of Simon Property Group, which has 21 malls in California including the Del Amo Fashion Center, Brea Mall and Ontario Mills, jumped on the news. The company is set to report earnings after Monday's market close.

          Adding more warehouses would help Amazon speed up deliveries as the company plans to offer its Prime members 1-day delivery of their orders. Amazon posted $5.2 billion in profits in the second quarter, doubling its bottom line from the same quarter a year ago, despite spending more than $4 billion on COVID-19 initiatives.

          This story was originally appeared on GeekWire.

          LA Tech Week 2025: Sunday’s Event Lineup

          Here's the Sunday, October 19th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

          ARTS DISTRICT

          3:00 PM

          BEL AIR

          3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

          BURBANK

          6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

          CULVER CITY

          9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

          4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

          INGLEWOOD

          10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

          • Spinovation: The Future Is Femme, The Future is Frequency: See Details Here
            Sonder Impact, Black Women Spin, Sip & Sonder

          KOREATOWN

          12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          MARINA DEL REY

          12:00 PM

          • Sunday Tech Brunch
            Sawubona

          MID CITY

          9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          • Women in Cleantech Hike and Network: See Details Here
            Women in Cleantech and Sustainability

          SANTA MONICA

          9:00 AM

          10:00 AM

          3:45 PM

          4:00 PM – 7:30 PM

          • OFF THE HOOK Santa Monica Seafood Festival: See Details Here
            Spin PR Group, City of Santa Monica, Tech St.

          6:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          • Pritam: A Musical Legend - Live in Concert: See Details Here
            American South Asian Network

          7:00 PM

          • Building AI workflow editor in React with Workflow Builder SDK: See Details Here
            Workflow Builder

          7:00 PM

          8:00 PM

          • Unlock Apple's Corporate Advantage for your Startup!: See Details Here
            iStore by St. Moritz

          TOPANGA CANYON

          3:00 PM

          • Dreamore Hike and Picnic: LA Tech Week: *Invite Only*
            Dreamore

          VENICE

          10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

          • Coffee, Walk, and Schmooze: See Details Here
            JFE (Jews For Entrepreneurship) Network

          VIRTUAL (LA)

          10:00 AM

          • Level Up with LinkedIn: A Student’s Guide to Networking & Opportunities (Virtual Event): See Details Here
            FIMAC

          10:00 AM

          WEST ADAMS

          1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

          Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

          Download the dot.LA App


          LA Tech Week 2025: Saturday’s Event Lineup

          Here's the Saturday, October 18th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

          BEVERLY HILLS

          2:00 PM

          CENTURY CITY

          7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          CULVER CITY

          9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

          10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

          1:00 PM

          DTLA

          7:00 PM

          • {MiniMax x Nakid x SkyPortalx}: TECH/MOTION/MUSIC/ART: See Details Here
            MiniMax (Hailuo AI)

          10:00 PM – 2:00 AM

          EL SEGUNDO

          10:00 AM

          • Venture on the Green: *Invite Only*
            BLCK VC

          4:00 PM

          INGLEWOOD

          7:00 PM

          • Valar Atomics, Durin and Discipulus Ventures - Night With A Nuclear Reactor: See Details Here
            Valar Atomics, Durin, Discipulus Ventures

          MARINA DEL REY

          8:30 AM

          12:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          5:00 PM

          • LOST iN Sunset Sail: Navigating the Tides of the Creator Economy & Media: See Details Here
            LOST iN

          PASADENA

          9:00 AM

          PLAYA VISTA

          2:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          SANTA MONICA

          7:00 AM

          9:00 AM

          • Pedal & Network: Tech Cyclists @ LA Tech Week 🚵: See Details Here
            Instafill.ai

          9:30 AM

          • Getty Center Guided Tour & (Optional) Photography Scavenger Hunt: See Details Here
            NEW MOON Impact Productions

          10:30 AM – 11:30 AM

          11:00 AM – 2:15 PM

          12:00 PM – 5:00 PM

          1:00 PM – 5:00 PM

          1:30 PM

          • Self-Defense in Court and the Streets: See Details Here
            Santa Monica Striking, Luri Inc.

          2:00 PM

          • SMARTUP 500: THE FIRST AT TECH WEEK LA - Launching the world’s first Startup Ranking: See Details Here
            Smart Times

          2:00 PM

          • NLPs (No Lame Panels) The Creator X Founder Rooftop Party: See Details Here
            Startup Village, Sanctuary

          3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          4:00 PM – 6:30 PM

          • Just Do It?: Helping Founders Perform Like Olympians: See Details Here
            Elite Psychology Group

          5:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          • The Future of Hospitality: Poetry, Provenance & Passports: See Details Here
            Villa Kitchen, Airble, We Speak Dance, Techstars San Francisco

          7:00 PM

          • 🚀 Investor x Founder Open Mic Pitches: See Details Here
            Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

          7:00 PM

          • Life is a Pitch - LA Edition: *Invite Only*
            DeepMyst

          TOPANGA CANYON

          5:00 PM – 8:30 PM

          • Walk&Jam: Use AI to make art while hiking Topanga Canyon: See Details Here
            Formhaus llc, Wonderland Immersive Design

          TORRANCE

          1:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          • Crunches & Conversations Presented by The Differentials and KIS Training Studios: See Details Here
            The Differentials, KIS Training Studios

          VENICE

          1:00 PM – 4:30 PM

          • Beyond the Language Barrier: Exploring AI's Next Frontier: See Details Here
            Medusa AI

          VENICE BEACH

          8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

          • SŨRFED Club @ Venice Beach: Founders, Creators, Investors share the waves: See Details Here
            SŨRFED Club, Go Vitamins

          WEST ADAMS

          9:30 AM – 10:45 AM

          • Funders Shaping Democracy, AI & Media: See Details Here
            New Media Ventures, New Rising Ventures

          WEST HOLLYWOOD

          4:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

          9:30 PM

          • Vibe Check Comedy Show, Tech Week Edition! @ Hollywood Improv: See Details Here
            Vibe Check Comedy

          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

          Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

          Download the dot.LA App


          LA Tech Week 2025: Friday’s Event Lineup

          Here's the Friday, October 17th lineup for LA Tech Week 2025, organized by location so you can easily explore events that fit your goals and schedule. Dive in and see what’s happening near you!

          ARTS DISTRICT

          8:30 AM – 12:00 PM

          • Power Day: Ideas, Pitches, Connections: See Details Here
            Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

          6:00 PM

          • WEB3 GAMING IS DEAD - Happy Hour: See Details Here
            Plassa Capital, Yee-Haw Monster Trucks

          BEVERLY HILLS

          10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

          2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

          3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

          4:00 PM

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          • So you went viral, Now what? (pt II): See Details Here
            Verci, Study Fetch, TechSpace

          8:00 PM

          • Private Pool: GP x LP x FO: *Invite Only*
            Visionlist Commons , Bay Area Innovest

          BRENTWOOD

          8:00 AM

          • Founders & Investors Hike: See Details Here
            Salehpour Legal, Technology Founders of America

          CARSON

          11:45 AM

          • Lightspeed x SVB Porsche Experience: *Invite Only*
            Lightspeed Venture Partners, SVB

          CULVER CITY

          8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

          11:00 AM

          1:00 PM

          • Surf Parks & Wave Pools: From Doja Cat to Mark Zuckerberg: See Details Here
            Surflytics

          8:00 PM – 12:00 AM

          EL SEGUNDO

          11:30 AM – 2:00 PM

          5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

          HOLLYWOOD

          10:00 AM

          • AI, Revenue, and Reality: How Fortune 500s Work With Startups That Ship: See Details Here
            Sunrise AI, OpenTable

          12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

          • Unplugged: LA Tech Week Recharge Experience with TAY × Checked Out: See Details Here
            TAY Fitness, Checked Out

          9:00 PM

          INGLEWOOD

          8:00 AM

          • TCSI Presents: Caffeine & Connections: See Details Here
            The Cyber Security Intellects Nonprofit

          LONG BEACH

          7:00 AM

          MALIBU

          10:00 AM

          • Great Leaders Podcast & Profiles: See Details Here
            NEW MOON Impact Productions, Origin Studios

          12:30 PM

          MARINA DEL REY

          9:00 AM

          • Keeping Your Freedom as a Founder: Real Talk on Funding: See Details Here
            Lighter Capital

          10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

          • D-Wave Research Day & Hackathon!: See Details Here
            USC Information Sciences Institute, D-Wave

          4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

          • The Sky is Not the Limit: All About Aerospace: See Details Here
            Sunstone Management, USC Viterbi Startup Garage

          PASADENA

          10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

          11:30 AM – 1:30 PM

          • Deep Tech Entrepreneurship Pillars of Pasadena Tech: See Details Here
            Innovate Pasadena, Pasadena SBDC, City of Pasadena

          PLAYA VISTA

          9:00 AM

          12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

          • Vision to Venture - AI Media Showcase powered by Google AI: See Details Here
            Google

          SANTA MONICA

          7:00 AM – 8:30 AM

          • Signal Run : RTC x Wildwood VC: See Details Here
            Run Tech Club, Wildwood Ventures

          7:30 AM

          8:45 AM – 10:45 AM

          9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          • Slash Burn Rates & Scale Your Startup: See Details Here
            Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA)

          9:00 AM

          • Driving a Digital Ecology Relay: What is at Stake: See Details Here
            The PORT GLOBAL, GLOBAL PORTAL INSTITUTE

          9:30 AM – 11:30 AM

          10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

          • The Enduring Value of Inclusive Capital: See Details Here
            Founders Registry. Nervana

          10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

          10:30 AM

          11:30 AM – 1:00 PM

          • Advisors to Investors Lunch: Venture Capital for enterprise leaders: See Details Here
            Collinear Capital, Worlds

          12:00 PM

          • Powerhouse Capital & a16z speedrun Investor Lunch Mixer: See Details Here
            Powerhouse Capital, a16z, speedrun

          2:00 PM

          • Where Robotics Meets Heart - Embedding Family Values in a Future with AI: See Details Here
            Trove, Puerto Rico Blockchain Association, MindfulBytes

          2:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          • Workshop: Create An Enterprise Chatbot and Unlock the 70% of Data Data You’re Not Using: See Details Here
            Aparavi

          4:00 PM

          5:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          5:30 PM

          5:30 PM – 9:30 PM

          6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

          • USC Alumni Founders & Investors: See Details Here
            USC Alumni Entrepreneurship Network, Techstars

          6:00 PM

          • Social Currency Series/Greenlit presents PitchPop: See Details Here
            Social Currency Series, Greenlit

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          6:30 PM

          6:30 PM – 10:00 PM

          6:30 PM

          • Lets get the LA Bioeconomy brewing: See Details Here
            Founders, Friends & Fermentation, Saku Biosciences

          7:00 PM – 11:30 PM

          7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          7:00 PM – 10:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          • Liquid Equity 2: The Premiere Gathering for Founders, Creator
            Coeus Collective

          7:00 PM

          7:00 PM

          • For the Love of Tech | Speed Dating for Tech Professionals: See Details Here
            Feathr, Los Angeles Fun Events

          7:00 PM

          SOUTH LA

          3:00 PM

          TORRANCE

          9:00 AM – 11:00 AM

          • The Future of Space & Security Panel: See Details Here
            Northwood Space, Anduril Industries, Impulse Space, Astranis

          VENICE

          9:00 AM – 10:45 AM

          9:00 AM – 11:30 AM

          11:00 AM

          11:30 AM – 2:30 PM

          12:30 PM

          • Creative Partners: Human + AI Storytelling: See Details Here
            Othelia, Primordial Soup

          2:00 PM – 3:45 PM

          5:00 PM

          • EarthHouse: Critical Minerals, Mobility & Modern Power: See Details Here
            The Strategye Group, Alpha Sierra One

          6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          • Pizza+Soda: *Invite Only*
            Schmoozd , The KINN

          7:00 PM

          VENICE BEACH

          2:00 PM – 6:30 PM

          5:00 PM

          8:30 PM – 2:00 AM

          VIRTUAL (LA)

          2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

          3:00 PM

          • Government of Alberta: ProcurementAsCode // Done in 60 Seconds: See Details Here
            Government of Alberta

          4:00 PM

          • Stop Hitting Yourself 🥊: See Details Here
            Stop Hitting Yourself, HOWDY, Company Policy, Snowbird Global

          WEST HOLLYWOOD

          3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

          6:00 PM

          WESTSIDE

          5:00 PM

          5:30 PM – 8:30 PM


          For updates or more event information, visit the official Tech Week calendar.

          Enjoy LA Tech Week 2025!

          Download the dot.LA App


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