Shira Lazar
Founder - What’s Trending
Shira Lazar is TIME100 Creator, an Emmy-nominated digital culture expert, keynote speaker, and mental health advocate with over 1 million followers across platforms. As the founder of What’s Trending, a pioneering digital news brand with 3+ million followers, she has been shaping the creator economy and social media trends for two decades.
Shira has shared her expertise on stages like SXSW, Cannes Lions, CES and NAB. She is a Shorty Award Creator Advocate of the Year, was one of Fast Company's Most Influential Women in Technology, honored on Variety's Women of Impact list, and featured on AdWeek’s AI Trailblazers Power100 list.
In 2024, she launched Creators 4 Mental Health, an initiative focused on bringing mental health tools to the creator economy through events, research and community programming. In 2026, Shira helped introduce the Creator Bill of Rights alongside Congressman Ro Khanna, advocating for fair labor standards, protections, and benefits for creators as workers and small business owners. Building her own brands has led her to also advise and consult with companies looking to make an impact through emerging tech. She shares her insights on AI and the creator economy in her weekly newsletter, The Alpha. She also hosts a podcast series called The AI Download, exploring the future of AI and culture.
