During a recent conversation with a creator, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy called out his platform’s biggest rival. The boss of the Amazon-owned hub said that Kick made a “complete mistake” by prioritizing high-profile streamer signings over “long-term stable” growth.

Clancy’s comments came during an interview with NateGentile7, who invited Twitch’s CEO onto his stream on June 13. On the subject of Kick, Clancy pointed to a strategy he believes to be counterproductive. By promising creators that its streams are paved with gold (and paying them huge lump sums), Kick was able to recruit big names like Amouranth and xQc.

Those signings built buzz for Kick during its early days, but Clancy wondered about the moves Kick wasn’t making as it brought in those high-profile stars. “I think it is a complete mistake to say, ‘The live stream market is fixed, I’m just going to take what the other guy has,...