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OpenAI hits “Code Red”: ads pushed back as Altman shifts priorities towards stabilising ChatGPT amid mounting pressure from Google and Anthropic

OpenAI hits “Code Red”: ads pushed back as Altman shifts priorities towards stabilising ChatGPT amid mounting pressure from Google and Anthropic

OpenAI has hit the brakes. A leaked memo reveals ads, agents and Pulse have been slowed as Sam Altman declares “Code Red” in response to Google’s rapid progress. Publicly, Nick Turley insists there’s no ad testing - yet strings in the latest beta point to search ads, carousels and monetisation features quietly being prepared.

Perplexity

+3

AI Search Intelligence is very much in vogue and Adobe’s SEMrush acquisition proves it

AI Search Intelligence is very much in vogue and Adobe’s SEMrush acquisition proves it

Adobe’s $1.9B move for SEMrush, Google’s release of Gemini 3 and the first ads appearing inside AI answers all point to the same thing: the industry is shifting from SERPs to AI-driven answer engines. Here’s why this week matters more than most.

Survey

+5

Which retailers won Halloween in AI Search and what Big Tech’s $400B AI bet means for brands

Which retailers won Halloween in AI Search and what Big Tech’s $400B AI bet means for brands

Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft all reported earnings this week. Alphabet impressed with strong ad and cloud growth and saw its stock rise, Microsoft beat expectations but dipped on AI-driven cost concerns, while Meta’s revenue beat was overshadowed by soaring expenses and weak profit, sending its shares sharply lower.

Perplexity

+7

The next search revolution: Duane Forrester on the evolution of search in the AI era

The next search revolution: Duane Forrester on the evolution of search in the AI era

Search is changing faster than ever. As AI systems replace lists of links with direct answers, marketers face a seismic shift in how visibility is earned and measured. Drawing on decades at Microsoft and Bing, Duane Forrester explores how intent, context, and human understanding will define the next era of discovery - and what it really takes to stay visible when machines start thinking for themselves.

Perplexity

+8

5 charts that prove AI search is reshaping the internet

5 charts that prove AI search is reshaping the internet

From ChatGPT’s explosive growth to the rise in attribution mentions and ad budgets, the data paints a clear picture - AI search isn’t a side trend, it’s a structural shift. These five charts show how discovery, attention, and money are rapidly flowing toward conversational platforms - and what that means for brands preparing for this new era.

AI Search

+3

Walmart’s ChatGPT traffic climbs, Apple launches dev Siri, and OpenAI unveils ChatGPT Pulse

Walmart’s ChatGPT traffic climbs, Apple launches dev Siri, and OpenAI unveils ChatGPT Pulse

Walmart’s referral traffic mix is shifting toward ChatGPT, Apple is readying an LLM-powered Siri, and OpenAI has dropped Pulse. Three stories that show just how fast AI search is becoming the default discovery layer - and what brands should do about it.

Perplexity

+6

US lets Google off lightly as Europe fines €3.45bn, OpenAI hires content strategist and AI search reshapes traffic

US lets Google off lightly as Europe fines €3.45bn, OpenAI hires content strategist and AI search reshapes traffic

US regulators go soft on Google as Europe fines €3.45bn. OpenAI turns to a human strategist, underlining the value of expertise even in the AI age. Meanwhile, AI search is continuing to eat clicks and reshaping the web’s traffic model.

ChatGPT

+5

Shifts in search behaviour, Google’s Gemini push and OpenAI’s scraping strategy

Shifts in search behaviour, Google’s Gemini push and OpenAI’s scraping strategy

From shifting search behaviours to Google’s Gemini push into the home and OpenAI’s behind-the-scenes data sourcing, here are the key stories shaping AI and search this week.

Meta

+4

From “SEO is dead” to GPT-5 and Grok AI ads - the week that shook search

From “SEO is dead” to GPT-5 and Grok AI ads - the week that shook search

This week saw a headline that rattled SEOs, a major leap forward for AI capabilities, and a signal that advertising will soon be integrated into the very fabric of AI responses. Here’s what it means for your strategy - and the conversations you’ll need to have in the boardroom.

GEO

+5

Google expands AI Mode, Figma’s IPO soars, and Anthropic closes in on OpenAI

Google expands AI Mode, Figma’s IPO soars, and Anthropic closes in on OpenAI

Google expands AI search to the UK. Figma lights up Wall Street. Anthropic's revenue surge puts OpenAI on notice. This week, we’re tracking AI Search expansion, platform disruption, and why the AI battleground is far from settled.

Reddit

+5

The Real Power of Native Advertising: Insight, Control, and Smarter Spend

The Real Power of Native Advertising: Insight, Control, and Smarter Spend

Inside Dianomi’s approach to context-first advertising, cookieless targeting, and smarter campaign control.

Video

+5

From search box to smart browser: Why Perplexity’s Comet is a big deal

From search box to smart browser: Why Perplexity’s Comet is a big deal

Perplexity's Comet just redefined what a browser can and will do - Google should take note.

Perplexity

+4

AI wants it all — but publishers are pushing back

AI wants it all — but publishers are pushing back

From pay-per-crawl debates to plummeting traffic, the battle lines are being drawn.

ChatGPT

+3

Want to see how ChatGPT thinks? There’s a hack for that....

Want to see how ChatGPT thinks? There’s a hack for that....

This little-known workflow reveals the logic, links, and sources behind any ChatGPT reply.

ChatGPT

+2

AI Disruption, App Store Power Moves, and Publisher Pressure Continues

AI Disruption, App Store Power Moves, and Publisher Pressure Continues

From Apple’s updates for app marketers to the slow erosion of publisher traffic by AI, here’s what’s actually shaping business, marketing and tech this week.

ChatGPT

+3

Founding Be Franc, the UK’s Hot Startup Scene, Searching for Life, and Not Wasting My Life (on Football Manager)

Founding Be Franc, the UK’s Hot Startup Scene, Searching for Life, and Not Wasting My Life (on Football Manager)

Franc Talking: A weekly newsletter by Be Franc. Edition 2.

Start-up

+1

Open AI revenue breakdown, Shein's profits soar, Google under the DOJ microscope and more

Open AI revenue breakdown, Shein's profits soar, Google under the DOJ microscope and more

Franc Talking: A weekly newsletter by Be Franc.

ChatGPT

+2

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