The news that moves growth.
A daily digest of what's happening in search, social, AI and advertising — curated headlines linking to the original sources, refreshed every morning.
Curated from the sources we actually read.
Last updated: 18 October 2026, 04:30 IST
Search & Digital Marketing
Baidu Now Measures AI Citations: Here’s What SEOs Should (And Shouldn’t) Read Into It
Baidu's new AI CTR divides clicks by citations, not impressions. Here's why that matters and what else the AI Traffic Analysis report will show.
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ChatGPT Ads Climbed In 3 Retail Categories, Led By Gaming: Comscore
Data shows ChatGPT ads becoming more common in retail conversations among US users on desktop.
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Which Data Sources Should You Care About For AI Search?
AI search pulls from more sources than most SEOs track. Here's a tiered view of which data sources deserve your attention first.
Read on our siteSocial & Advertising
In Graphic Detail: LLMs keep citing YouTube in search results
YouTube has long been the platform people go to learn how to do things. Now it seems AI systems are increasingly sending them there too. Across LLMs and AI search…
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Future of TV Briefing: Inside The Wall Street Journal’s new shows strategy
This week’s Future of TV Briefing looks at how The Wall Street Journal is switching up its podcast operations to accommodate video and social. The Journal’s A/V team…
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Publishers’ scorecard on Google’s ad tech remedies: they’re progress, but far from a clean win
After years of waiting for the DOJ to finally curb Google’s ad tech power, publishers are finding that the devil in these new remedies — from opening AdX to rival ad…
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Marketers have bought into microdramas — but a lack of ROI might make them irrelevant
Marketers have long since tried to make advertising something people actually want to watch — with varying shelf life results. (Remember Quibi, the mobile video…
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What The New York Times looks for in AI licensing partnerships
The AI content licensing ecosystem has improved for publishers in the past few years, with AI companies now increasingly expected to compensate publishers for their…
Read on our siteThreads adds sticker options for bios
Users can now put animated and static digital stickers in their profile bios.
Read on our siteMeta Muse uses human staff for some functions
Muse agents are able to make phone calls on behalf of its users, but some of those calls are being handed off to Meta staff, per 404 Media.
Read on our siteMeta Muse partners with Shopify, gets blocked by Amazon
The agent will be able to make purchases for users on all Shopify stores but won’t have access to Amazon products or retailers.
Read on our siteMeta Muse partners with Shopify and gets blocked by Amazon
The artificial intelligence agent will be able to make purchases for users on all Shopify stores but won’t have access to Amazon products or retailers.
Read on our siteX Numbers officially launch
The limited-access numeric codes for XChat enable users to message each other even if they’re not connected on the platform.
Read on our siteAI & Automation
StrictlyVC at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026: Inside the changing rules of venture capital
StrictlyVC joins TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 to discuss the changing VC landscape thanks to AI. Get your Investor Pass to join these exclusive sessions. Save $200 before…
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YouTube releases new AI features for creators within its Studio app
YouTube is adding new features to generate ideas and monitor the performance of thumbnails.
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3 days left to save up to $200 and make impactful connections at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
3 days to save up to $200 on your TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 pass, plus 50% off a second. Make impactful connections with 10,000+ tech leaders. Last day to save is…
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Spotify is giving you the keys to its recommendation algorithm with US launch of ‘Taste Profile’
Spotify is rolling out Taste Profile to Premium users in the U.S., letting listeners see how the streamer understands their tastes and use natural language to reshape…
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Ema raises $77M as AI starts eating into enterprise software and services
Ema has raised $140 million to date and has more than 50 enterprise customers, including Google and Microsoft.
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‘We’re already fighting yesterday’s battle’: Greece’s prime minister gets candid about AI
Most leaders on a trade mission stick to the pitch, but when I interviewed Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis this week, he also admitted that no government is…
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TechCrunch Founder Summit’s agenda revealed: Unlock fundraising, hiring, and AI insights in Boston on November 4
Founders shouldn't have to learn the hardest lessons the hardest way. TechCrunch Founder Summit is designed to make the challenges of starting a company easier and the…
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Snorkel AI triples valuation to $3.5B as demand for AI training data booms
The seven-year-old startup has raised a $350 million Series E to fuel its data-as-a-service approach.
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Qualcomm launches two new smartphone chips with emphasis on AI
Qualcomm said that its new top chip can run 30B mixture-of-expert model locally.
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Meta admits Muse’s likeness to OpenClaw isn’t a coincidence
Meta says Muse was built from scratch, but acknowledges the AI assistant was "heavily inspired" by OpenClaw — down to some of its workspace filenames and content.
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OpenAI launches GPT-6 Sol and Luna, boasting lower cost and fewer mistakes
OpenAI is launching two new models, which it says are cut from the same cloth as Astra.
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