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: 10 October 2026, 04:30 IST
Search & Digital Marketing
AI works best when it removes work, not judgment
Over the course of this year, we’ve talked about the “easy button” and how many corporate leaders are blindly trusting AI to run their businesses. Since we already…
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Should I Block AI Crawlers At Robots.txt Or Server Level? – Ask An SEO
Robots.txt relies on bot compliance, while WAF, CDN, and server-level blocks enforce it. A breakdown of which layer stops AI crawlers for good.
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Google Says Ranking Recovery Takes Months After SEO Issues Are Fixed
Google explains why fixing what caused a ranking drop doesn’t necessarily mean rankings will come back anytime soon.
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AI Slop Cleanup Job Listings Up 87%, Report Says
The Guardian reports AI cleanup listings are up 87%, while freelancers say clients lowball the work.
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Google AI Mode Prices Differ From Product Carousel For Same Items
Data finds Google AI Mode rarely shows the same products as the regular results carousel, and often lists a different seller when it does.
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Google Responds To Sitemap SEO Technique That Forces Daily Crawling
Google's Mueller comments on a sitemap SEO method that forces search engines to crawl and index web pages every day.
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Google Adds Gemini 3.8 Flash To AI Mode
Google added Gemini 3.8 Flash to AI Mode's model menu on release day.
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The Next AI Protocol Won’t Save Your SEO Strategy
Publishing a format is not the same as possessing the knowledge. Bill Hunt on why knowledge architecture outlasts every AI protocol.
Read on our siteSocial & Advertising
Media Briefing: What to expect at the Digiday Publishing Summit, September 2026 edition
This week’s Media Briefing covers what to expect from the upcoming Digiday Publishing Summit in Key Biscayne, Fla., which kicks off on Sept. 14 . Executives from The New…
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Ace Hardware adds weather-triggered programmatic ads to retail media strategy
This story was originally published on sister site, Modern Retail . Almost one year into its existence, Ace Hardware’s retail media network, RedVest Media, just…
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Why Google’s ad business escaped a breakup
Google’s immunity to breakup is starting to feel inevitable. Another attempt to force one has been written off. That’s despite the world’s largest advertising business…
Read on our siteX Money will be the only payout option for US creators
Creators taking part in the app’s Original Content Rewards and subscriptions programs will no longer be able to accept alternative cashout methods.
Read on our siteTikTok signs multiyear NFL deal
The platform will add new game day hubs and host more highlights and archival moments designed to lean into year-round storytelling for both fans and brands.
Read on our siteTikTok signs multi-year NFL deal
The platform will add new game day hubs and host more highlights and archival moments designed to lean into “year-round storytelling” for both fans and brands.
Read on our siteYouTube adds mobile phone controls for CTV
Users can now manage their viewing experience without a remote control.
Read on our siteAI & Automation
The Builders Stage brings practical strategies for scaling startups to TechCrunch Disrupt 2026
The Builders Stage is returning to TechCrunch Disrupt, bringing together founders, startup operators, and investors for practical conversations on what it takes to build…
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Palo Alto Networks paid $500M for Thrive-backed Console, sources say
The acquisition also leaves Sequoia-backed Serval as the de facto startup leader in AI IT service automation, industry watchers believe.
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TechCrunch Disrupt 2026’s new Real World AI Stage features Nvidia, robots, and extinct animals
On our new Real World AI stage, we’ll be focusing on the intersection between the digital and physical, and all the ways we’ll continue to see a blending of the two.
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OpenAI’s new reasoning technique alarms AI safety experts
OpenAI’s new Astra model will use “recurrent depth,” a technique that allows the model to operate outside of the sequential thinking that characterizes most reasoning…
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Pangram’s Max Spero on why AI detection is harder than ‘Real or Fake’
The internet has a trust problem, and it’s not just because social media feeds are filling up with AI slop. AI-generated text and images are now making their way into…
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We’re ‘dangerously close’ to dead internet theory, says Pangram’s CEO
The internet has a trust problem, and it’s not just because social media feeds are filling up with AI slop. AI-generated text and images are now making their way into…
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US government sides with OpenAI on issue of training LLMs on copyrighted material
"The United States has a strong interest in continuing to develop a robust and competitive artificial intelligence industry that sets the standard for the practice and…
Read on our siteWonderful more than doubles its valuation to $5B in under 6 months
Wonderful said it will use its $550 million Series C funding to develop products faster, expand its FDE teams, and meet demand for its products.
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India’s richest man now wants to turn aging computers into AI-ready PCs
Jio is betting it can turn an aging computer into an AI-ready PC for as little as about $11 for two months.
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