In today’s creator economy, audiences are constantly told to question brands — which is fair. The creator ecosystem works best when opinions are independent, criticism is honest, and commercial conversations stay separate from editorial narratives. Sometimes that line isn’t always respected. Not favouring anyone here, but as the head of my previous brand, I saw multiple instances where a few creators suddenly became “consumer warriors” on launch day right after paid collaborations didn’t materialize (remember the dead motherboard videos on launch day?). But as a brand head I didn't react and took criticism, whether genuine or not, on my chin. As over long period of time consumers see genuine efforts. At the same time, many creators remained extremely professional irrespective of business discussions — people like Arun Prabhudesai, TechBar, GeekyRanjit and several others who understood the difference between criticism and coercion. Honest criticism helps brands improve. Arm-twisting disguised as objectivity hurts the credibility of the entire ecosystem. Sometimes I see 'a few' creators suddenly take the moral high ground on “ethics” and “consumer interest” when they themselves have spent years blurring the line between honest opinion and commercial leverage. Audiences are smarter than the ecosystem assumes. They eventually see consistency — or the lack of it. FYI, just sharing a perspective, not favouring or speaking against anyone.