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Break the Protection Paradox by aligning content strategy with how modern search and AI systems discover and surface information. The post How Brands Block AI Crawlers & Then Pay To Get Seen: The Protection Paradox appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Ranking and visibility are no longer the same thing. For 20 years, SEO teams optimized for SERP position. Higher rankings meant more visibility, more clicks, and more traffic. That relationship is breaking down. Earlier this year, Ahrefs found that only 38% of pages cited in Google AI Overviews also ranked in the traditional top 10. Eight months earlier, that number was 76%. The implication is straightforward: being highly ranked no longer guarantees being seen. In AI-generated answers, visibility is determined by inclusion — and by how your brand is represented when it appears. That representation is determined by a different set of signals. How visibility works in AI search: 4 signals that matter Four distinct patterns determine how brands appear inside AI-generated responses: Mention order. Depth of explanation. Authority signals. Comparative positioning. 1. Mention order When an AI model lists three CRM options, the order matters. Up to 74% of users choose the AI’s top recommendation, according to a Growth Memo and Citation Labs AI Mode study. This reinforces how heavily people rely on the first option presented. About 26% of users overrode the AI’s order entirely when they recognized a brand they already knew. This is a shift from how users behave in traditional search. And 56% of users built their own shortlist from multiple sources. In AI Mode, 88% took the AI’s shortlist without checking further. The AI’s curated answers carry that much weight. But mention order isn’t stable. SE Ranking’s August 2025 analysis found that when you run the same query three times, AI Mode only overlaps with itself 9.2% of the time. The sources change. The order changes, sometimes dramatically. The lesson: Mention order creates an advantage, but it isn’t deterministic. Brand recognition can The President position. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with 2. Depth of explanation Not all mentions are created equal. Some brands get a single sentence. Others get a full paragraph explaining their strengths, use cases, and differentiators. The difference comes down to how much citation-worthy information AI systems found about you. When Semrush announced its AI Visibility Awards in December 2025, it analyzed more than 2,500 prompts run through ChatGPT and Google AI Mode. Category leaders like Samsung in consumer electronics didn’t just appear more often. They got more detailed descriptions when they did appear. Challenger brands like Logitech in gaming accessories showed up, too, but typically with shorter mentions focused on a single differentiator. The top 4.8% of URLs cited 10+ times by ChatGPT share a common trait. They’re comprehensive pages that answer “what is it,” “who uses it,” “how to choose,” and “pricing” in a single URL. Word count seems to matter, too. Pages above 20,000 characters average 10.18 citations each. Pages under 500 characters average just 2.39. The lesson: If AI systems have thin data about your brand, you get thin mentions. 3. Authority signals AI systems don’t just cite sources. They characterize them by tone, which reveals how much confidence the AI has in your authority. HubSpot’s AEO Grader, launched in early 2026, classifies brands into competitive roles: leader, challenger, or niche player. They’re positioning labels that determine how persuasively AI presents you. Semrush’s awards data showed that category leaders have less than 20% monthly volatility in AI share of voice. Once AI systems establish you as a leader, that perception tends to stick. The language reflects this correlation. Leaders get described with confident phrasing, such as “the industry standard” and “widely recognized.” Challengers get “growing alternative” and “gaining traction.” Most brand mentions in AI answers are neutral or positive. But neutral isn’t the same as enthusiastic. The difference between “also offers project management features” and “considered one of the top three project management platforms” is authority signaling. The lesson: AI doesn’t just say your name. It frames your reputation. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 4. Comparative positioning Comparative positioning is the closest thing to traditional rankings in AI answers: how you’re positioned when multiple brands appear together. But instead of Position 1 vs. Position 2, it’s “better for X” vs. “better for Y.” Amsive’s research found clear positioning hierarchies. In banking, Bank of America leads with 32.2% visibility, SoFi follows at 25.7%, and LightStream captures 20.2%. In healthcare, Mayo Clinic dominates at 14.1%. Kevin Indig’s Growth Memo research revealed a critical nuance. When AI positioned a brand as “best for startups” versus “best for enterprises,” users self-selected based on that framing, even if both brands technically served both segments. The lesson: You’re not competing for position 1 anymore. You’re competing to own a specific positioning niche in AI’s mental model of your category. How traditional rank correlates with AI visibility (barely) We already covered the 38% overlap stat. The interesting question is why it dropped so fast. The answer: query fan-out. When an AI Overview triggers, Google doesn’t just evaluate the top-ranking pages for the user’s actual query. It breaks the question into multiple sub-queries, retrieves relevant passages from across its index, and synthesizes them into a single response. Your page might rank No. 1 for “best project management software” and still get skipped. The AI pulled from pages ranking for “project management for remote teams” or “integrations with Slack” instead. One query to the user. A dozen queries behind the scenes. SE Ranking’s February 2026 research found that Google’s upgrade to Gemini 3 replaced approximately 42% of previously cited domains and generates 32% more sources per response than its predecessor. Traditional ranking positions became even less predictive overnight. Where AI traffic actually goes Semrush’s analysis of 17 months of clickstream data reveals an unexpected pattern: Over 20% of ChatGPT referral traffic goes to Google. That share rose from roughly 14% at the start of the study to more than 21% by early 2026. The biggest beneficiary of ChatGPT’s growth is Google. Users go to ChatGPT to get an answer, then head to Google to confirm findings or research brands they just discovered. For users, they’re complementary steps in a single journey. Most ChatGPT prompts don’t match traditional search language. Between 65% and 85% of prompts couldn’t be matched to any traditional search keyword in Semrush’s database of 27 billion keywords. A traditional Google search: “best project management software.” The ChatGPT equivalent: “I manage a 12-person remote engineering team, and we’re constantly missing sprint deadlines. What should I change about our weekly standups?” That level of specificity doesn’t exist in keyword databases — and it’s becoming more common. Measuring visibility in AI answers If position doesn’t matter the way it used to, what does? Citation frequency replaces rankings as the primary metric. How often does your brand appear when AI systems answer questions in your category? Brand mention rate measures penetration. If AI generates 100 answers about your category, what percentage mention your brand? Scores above 70% indicate strong AI search performance. Below 30% signals significant visibility gaps. Recommendation rate matters more than mention rate for B2B SaaS and high-consideration purchases. Being recommended carries more weight than being mentioned in a general list. Sentiment and context determine whether mentions drive action. Track how AI describes you: premium vs. cheap, advanced vs. beginner, reliable vs. experimental. Citation position within answers creates measurable advantage. Unlike traditional rankings, you can be first-cited without being first-ranked organically. The measurement infrastructure you actually need Traditional rank trackers can’t measure these signals. The 2026 measurement model requires parallel tracking. Traditional SEO metrics still matter for the portion of search that remains blue links. AI visibility requires tracking how often your brand appears and how it’s represented in AI-generated answers. A new category of tools has emerged to support this shift. For citation tracking, platforms like Profound, Gauge, Peec AI, and Scrunch monitor which URLs get cited across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and Google AI Overviews. For brand analysis, tools like Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit and AthenaHQ measure how often your brand is mentioned, how it’s described, and whether it’s recommended. For competitive positioning, Bluefish and HubSpot’s AEO Grader evaluate how AI systems categorize your brand relative to competitors. None of these tools replace traditional SEO infrastructure. They supplement it. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with A different model of visibility The ranking obsession isn’t going away entirely. Traditional search still drives traffic. But measuring success solely through rankings misses the larger shift. AI answer engines now act as gatekeepers, surfacing only the brands they consider citation-worthy. Visibility depends on how often you’re included, how you’re described, and how you’re positioned relative to competitors. Traditional rank trackers can’t capture that. It requires a different measurement model. That’s what determines visibility now. View the full article

You’re three days into a work trip in a foreign city, running late for a meeting, and you yank the zipper on your carry-on one last time to force it closed. It catches. You pull harder. The slider pops off the track, and suddenly a piece of luggage that cost you several hundred dollars is, for all practical purposes, an open box with wheels. You find a hotel concierge who points you to a cobbler. You buy a roll of duct tape. You miss your meeting. The zipper is the single most common failure point on a rolling suitcase. It’s the part under the most stress every time a traveler overpacks, sits on the suitcase’s lid to close it, or hands the bag to a gate agent to be tossed into a cargo hold. And once the zipper goes, most luggage is effectively unusable. Some premium brands, like Rimowa, offer repair programs, but they typically require shipping the bag back to a service center or dropping it off in person at a store—a process that can take weeks. Lower-priced brands like Away often find it cheaper to send a customer a replacement bag than to fix the old one, which means the broken suitcase ends up in a landfill. Cotopaxi, the 12-year-old outdoor brand known for its colorful, llama-logo backpacks and its commitment to sustainability, is offering a solution that could fix those friction points. The brand is launching its first-ever hard-side roller suitcase line, called the Coraza, built on the philosophy that you should be able to fix your luggage when it breaks. It’s available online and in select stores starting today. Each of the parts most likely to fail—the closure, the wheels, and the handles—can be easily repaired at home or on the road. That’s not just more convenient; it also prolongs the life of the suitcase, keeping it out of a landfill. “This has been in development for a few years,” says Shumlas. “The intent was to create something that is built to last, but also built to be fixed.” A Zipperless Design Most roller suitcases on the market today close with a zipper, but zippers are notoriously hard to fix. So Cotopaxi’s design team found a different closure mechanism altogether. Coraza uses two reinforced latches that snap the shell shut, with integrated TSA locks. If a latch ever breaks, Cotopaxi will ship a replacement part to the customer, free of charge, with a QR code inside the bag linking to step-by-step repair videos. The interior is modular: removable, recycled-polyester liners that function as built-in packing cubes and can be pulled out to hang in a closet. The wheels, which Cotopaxi CEO Lindsay Shumlas compares to skateboard wheels for the way they glide, come off with a few bolts and can be swapped by the traveler. The ad campaign to launch Coraza features a dancer, a choice Shumlas says was meant to convey how smoothly the bag moves. “I have never had smoother luggage, and it is really the skateboard wheels that do it,” she says. The swappable wheels also create an opportunity for customization. Customers can buy additional wheel colors on Cotopaxi’s site and mix and match them to create their own combinations. And if the wheels break during a trip, travelers can have a new set quickly shipped—or pick some up in one of Cotopaxi’s two dozen stores around the world—and replace them. The tools required come packaged with the replacements, and the wheels are designed to swap in easily. Creating a fixable, modular suitcase took years. While polycarbonate shells are an established manufacturing technology, engineering a hard-side bag that opens and closes reliably without a zipper—while still meeting international carry-on dimensions and TSA requirements—meant working closely with Cotopaxi’s factory partners and conducting extensive durability testing. Cotopaxi landed on a shell made from recycled polycarbonate that Shumlas says has held up through her own six months of travel, including a four-week work trip across Asia. The bag launches in a carry-on and a checked size, each in three colorways, including a black version with blue wheels and two in Cotopaxi’s signature brighter palette. The llama logo sits front and center. Growing The Business For Cotopaxi, hard-side luggage is the logical next step. The brand has built its business on backpacks and technical apparel, and already sells a softer, two-wheel rolling duffel. Shumlas argues hard-side luggage is a category that has been quietly begging for the kind of systems thinking that outdoor brands routinely apply to backpacks and tents, where repairability and field-serviceability are taken for granted. That expansion comes at a moment when other direct-to-consumer luggage players have been struggling. Paravel, a sustainability-focused startup, filed for bankruptcy earlier this year. Away, once valued at $1.4 billion, has cut staff in multiple rounds. Both companies scaled rapidly on venture capital. Cotopaxi, by contrast, has funded Coraza’s development without external capital. “We’ve funded all of the innovation investment in this line through our own operating cash flow, and continue to do so,” Shumlas says. The company now operates more than 20 stores in the U.S. and abroad, including recently opened locations in Japan and South Korea and a new store in Jackson, Wyoming. Shumlas says Cotopaxi opens two to three stores a year, concentrated in urban markets near college campuses—a demographic that has taken to the brand’s backpacks as everyday commuter gear. International expansion, which began five years ago in Tokyo, has become a strategic priority. Coraza is priced in line with other premium outdoor-adjacent luggage, and replacement parts—wheels, latches, and liners—are free for the life of the bag. In a category where planned obsolescence has long been part of the business model, Cotopaxi is betting that a suitcase built to be fixed by its owner will stand out. “How often do brands have a lifetime warranty on your luggage, but you’re shipping it back and potentially being shipped a new one?” Shumlas says. “What we’ve done is we’ve made it entirely repairable.” View the full article

Talks between Iran and the United States on ending the war seemed stalled Wednesday, despite U.S. President Donald The President earlier claiming Iran had informed his administration that it was in a “State of Collapse.” In a post on his Truth Social platform, The President criticized Iran’s handling of nuclear negotiations, saying it has failed to move toward a deal. “Iran can’t get their act together. They don’t know how to sign a nonnuclear deal. They better get smart soon!” he wrote. Meanwhile, Pakistan said its weekly oil import bill has surged by about 167% due to soaring global energy prices. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday the weekly oil import bill had risen from $300 million before the Middle East conflict to $800 million. In a similar message, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the U.S.-Israel war, combined with retaliation from Iran such as choking the Strait of Hormuz, is costing the European Union almost 500 million euros ($600 million) a day, raising prices at the pumps and fears of a jet fuel shortage within weeks. —Associated Press View the full article

Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, the once-popular barbecue casual-dining restaurant chain, has reportedly abruptly closed all of its remaining locations. The closures suggest a bleak fate for the nearly 30-year-old BBQ brand and come just months after both its direct owner, Twin Hospitality Group, and that company’s parent, FAT Brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Here’s what you need to know. What’s happened? Numerous local media outlets across the country have reported that their Smokey Bones restaurants abruptly and permanently closed yesterday, April 28. Those reports include ones from Indiana’s WANE 15, Pennsylvania’s TribLive, and Rhode Island’s 10 WJAR. Most of the reports cite similar scenes of customers or employees showing up at their local Smokey Bones only to find it locked and a notice of closure posted on the door. A photo of one such closure notice on a store in Indiana, posted by WANE 15, reads: “We regret to announce that this location has permanently closed its doors as of Tuesday, April 28th. We thank our loyal Guests for many wonderful years.” A Fast Company review of the Smokey Bones’s website store locator tool also shows that the business hours for every listed location are now marked as “closed” for every day of the week. The store locator lists restaurants in 15 states. It is not clear if all these closures are permanent. Fast Company has reached out to FAT Brands for comment. Beyond the altered store hours on the chain’s website and the fliers posted in the locations’ windows, it does not appear that Smokey Bones, its owner, Twin Hospitality Group, or its parent company, FAT Brands, have made a public statement about the closures. Smokey Bones owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January While the abrupt store closures may come as a surprise to patrons still showing up at their locations, it is less of a surprise to those familiar with the financial situations of Smokey Bones’s owners. The BBQ restaurant is directly owned by Twin Hospitality Group, which itself is a subsidiary of FAT Brands, the company that also owns Fatburger, Great American Cookies, Round Table Pizza, and more. As Fast Company previously reported, FAT Brands sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January. The company said it was undergoing bankruptcy in order “to strengthen our capital structure to support our concepts and ensure they remain at the forefront of their sectors.” In January, a FAT Brands subsidiary and the direct owner of Smokey Bones, Twin Hospitality Group, also filed for Chapter 11. At the same time, FAT Brands announced that it closed more than a dozen of its brands’ underperforming locations, but said that it expects its other restaurants to continue operating as normal. Now, it appears, at least for Smokey Bones, those plans have changed. In March, Nation’s Restaurant News reported that FAT Brands was preparing a sale of all or part of its assets. And according to a court filing just this week, FAT Brands has indeed found a successful bidder, as well as a backup bidder. Which Smokey Bones locations have closed? As of yesterday, April 28, it appears that FAT Brands has shuttered all remaining Smokey Bones locations. That’s according to the company’s website, which lists 31 locations in 15 states. However, some of those locations may have shut their doors before yesterday. The full list of locations that Smokey Bones has on its website includes: Florida 2693 Gulf to Bay Blvd., Clearwater, FL 33759 1510 W. New Haven Ave., Melbourne, FL 32904 303 N. Alafaya Tr., Orlando, FL 32828 Georgia 5555 Whittelsey Blvd., Columbus, GA 31907 2930 Stonecrest Circle, Lithonia, GA 30038 Illinois 2660 S. Dirksen Pkwy., Springfield, IL 62703 Indiana 1203 Apple Glen Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Kentucky 2450 Scottsville Rd., Bowling Green, KY 42104 Maryland 15209 Major Lansdale Blvd., Bowie, MD 20715 Massachusetts 1023 County Road, Taunton, MA 02780 431 Middlesex Rd., Tyngsboro, MA 01879 Michigan 2401 Lake Lansing Road, Lansing, MI 48912 New York 1557 Central Avenue, Colonie, NY 12205 4036 State Route 31, Liverpool, NY 13090 5012 Express Drive South, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 North Carolina 3302 W Gate City Blvd, Greensboro, NC 27407 Ohio 6744 Miller Lane, Dayton, OH 45414 1615 Stringtown Road, Grove City, OH 43123 7725 Reynolds Road, Mentor, OH 44060 2200 Baltimore Reynoldsburg Rd., Reynoldsburg, OH 43068 9484 Civic Centre Blvd., West Chester, OH 45069 Pennsylvania 1708 Route 228, Cranberry Township, PA 16066 2074 Interchange Rd., Erie, PA 16565 100 Power Line Drive, Greensburg, PA 15601 2723 N. Meridian Blvd., Reading, PA 19610 1030 Pittsburgh Mills Blvd., Tarentum, PA 15084 1301 Kenneth Road, York, PA 17404 Rhode Island 31B Universal Blvd., Warwick, RI 02886 Tennessee 1905 N. Roan Street, Johnson City, TN 37601 Virginia 1405 Greenbrier Parkway, Chesapeake, VA 23320 4590 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA 23462 View the full article

AI agents have already started buying on behalf of customers. Yet most merchants still lack the infrastructure to serve them. That disconnect sits at the center of PayPal’s first U.S. Agentic Commerce Pulse Survey, based on responses from 498 decision-makers across small businesses, mid-market firms, and large enterprises. Nearly 95% of merchants report that they can already track or observe traffic originating from AI agents, including web crawling from systems like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. But only about one in five have structured their product catalogs in machine-readable formats that those same agents can actually interpret and act on in real time. Many also lack the foundational infrastructure required to participate fully in agentic commerce, including interoperable APIs and agent-compatible checkout systems. The result is a market where demand is evolving faster than the systems built to support it. “We’re seeing the interface layer move first,” Mike Edmonds, PayPal’s VP of agentic commerce and commercial growth, tells Fast Company, noting that where brands once competed for visibility through Google Ads and SEO, agentic commerce is shifting that pressure toward structured product catalogs and how goods appear across LLMs and digital marketplaces. As search becomes more “intent-driven rather than keyword-driven,” Edmonds says, consumers are moving away from basic queries like “running shoes” and instead asking AI systems for highly specific recommendations tailored to their needs. According to the study, that shift is happening faster than most merchants anticipated. Across segments, 86% to 94% of businesses expect agentic commerce to have a positive impact over the next 12 to 24 months. Many report that it already has. “LLMs don’t inherently privilege the largest catalog; they privilege the most structured, most trustworthy data signal,” says PayPal CTO Srini Venkatesan, emphasizing that smaller merchants with strong machine-readable data and credible signals can, in theory, compete alongside much larger players in agent-driven discovery. But while the technology could level the playing field, Venkatesan notes that many small businesses still lack the resources or operational flexibility to navigate complex integrations, making broader ecosystem support essential. Welcome to the Invisible Storefront Economy Merchants say access to new customers is the single biggest benefit, followed by gains in personalization, repeat purchases, and sales growth. More and more, AI agents are handling discovery, comparison, and even checkout. That creates what PayPal executives describe as the “invisible storefront”: a system in which transactions occur without a human ever visiting a merchant’s site. For businesses still optimizing around SEO, paid acquisition, and front-end UX, the shift risks misaligned investment. Venkatesan says LLMs are increasingly capable of refining messy product catalogs while applying broader contextual understanding to connect consumer needs with merchant inventory. By pairing world knowledge with structured commerce data, these systems can better interpret nuanced requests and translate them into viable purchase options. “The agent reasons through the first layer, then queries the second,” Venkatesan says. Despite gaps in operational readiness, trust in AI representation is higher than expected. Some 71% of small businesses and nearly 90% of large enterprises say they “mostly” or “completely” trust AI systems to represent their products accurately. Companies are also reallocating resources by hiring AI talent, upskilling teams, and leaning on platform providers to accelerate deployment. That confidence, however, comes with caveats. Data security ranks as the top concern across segments, particularly among large enterprises, where 28% cite it as a primary barrier to investment. A Growing Divide or a Market Reset? The report also reveals a split in how businesses interpret the opportunity. Large enterprises tend to believe their scale and resources will enable them to capture a disproportionate share of agent-driven sales, with 87% expecting bigger players to pull further ahead. Small businesses, on the other hand, see the opposite potential. Roughly 78% believe a rise in agentic AI could help them compete more effectively with larger rivals by improving discovery and customer access. Edmonds, PayPal’s agentic commerce VP, says consumers are already using LLMs as a core discovery layer to evaluate products and make purchasing decisions—regardless of whether merchants are properly positioned within those systems—creating growing competitive pressure to adapt. But he cautions against businesses embracing agentic commerce as a branding exercise rather than a measurable strategy that involves testing for tangible results and working with experienced partners. For PayPal, the opportunity sits at the center of that transition. As agents increasingly act as a bridge between consumers and merchants, the company is positioning itself beyond payments and into identity, trust orchestration, and dispute resolution. Merchants appear receptive to that role. Businesses are split on expectations: Some want payment providers to lead the transition, while others see them as foundational players responsible for delivering infrastructure and standards. “Visa and Mastercard have been influential in the design of the rails for decades,” Edmonds says, positioning PayPal’s ambitions in agentic commerce as similar to those legacy payment networks: building foundational infrastructure, standards, and trust without dictating market winners directly. He argues that long-term success will depend less on centralized control and more on interoperable systems, asserting, “Open protocols are how you get an ecosystem that’s trusted by merchants, consumers, agents, and regulators at the same time.” View the full article

Learn three tactics for AEO/GEO, review platform optimization, peer community engagement, and technical validation that inform B2B buyer shortlists of vendors. The post B2B Buyers Choose A Vendor Before They Reach Out – 3 Ways To Be Visible When It Counts appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Five Grand Slam titles and more than a decade as the world’s highest-paid female athlete. But the fiercest competition Maria Sharapova describes may be the one she’s navigating now. In her second act as an investor, entrepreneur, and podcaster, she discusses what the court never prepared her for: the deals she walked away from, the candy brand she built and ultimately shuttered, and what it really takes to sit across the negotiating table from Nike. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by former Fast Company editor-in-chief Robert Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You were so young when you first had success even. You won Wimbledon in 2004, the first of five Grand Slams. You were 17. At that point, do you remember how strategic you were about brand alignment? Were you even making the decisions? I was from the first day. After that victory, I remember getting out of the car to the Wimbledon Ball and my manager, who’s still my manager to this day, he looks over and he’s, like, “There’s not a camera lens that you will not love this evening. You make the most out of this opportunity tonight.” A week later, I’m back in California, and I’m training for seven hours a day. But in that moment, [it was] maximize the potential. Within that week, I took a few days off. I flew to Portland. I re-signed my Nike deal. My dad told me to get in the room, and there may be things you don’t know. There are certain elements of the deal that you’re not going to be familiar with, but you know what? This is your future. This is your money, and you need to be in that room. He gave me … I was a teenager. I’m 17 years old. What do I know about money? But for him to say, “Just be there, and someone in the room, the C-suite individuals that will be talking this big game, they’re going to see your face, and it’s going to be a little tougher to bring the deal lower to you.” I remember being in that room, just being amazed by some of the zeros they were discussing. Right after that, I signed my first non-sport deal with Motorola. They were just coming out with the Razor phone. It wasn’t a big check, but the opportunity was big because I was going to be on billboards all over the world. My manager, he’s, like, “Just wait. You take this one, people will see your face, will know your name, and that will grow into bigger things.” That was a really great lesson. It’s so interesting because you put so much time, and from an early age, into tennis, into what gets you this attention. Then, when the attention comes, it’s like you have to learn that business piece of it on the fly a little bit. It comes at you, but you don’t … The things that maybe from the outside look like it’s fun, like you get to be celebrating winning Wimbledon. It’s not fun. It’s just a different work. No. The next day, you’re focused on winning the next one, which is the U.S. Open. There’s only a certain amount of time that you’re really allowed to think about your success, which in some ways is sad. But while you’re holding the trophy, all the other opponents are training. The world doesn’t end to watch this big moment in your life. Although you have to appreciate it and take it in, you can’t believe the hype. You have to get back on the horse and train and get better, because people will now know your game and your name, and they’ll want to beat you even more. But back to business as a young 20-year-old. You realize as a female, you’re not playing until you’re 60, or retired. You’re there until, perhaps, 35 at your very best. In my early 20s, I recognized that there will be an end. And whether the end is because of an injury, whether it’s because I want to start a family, or whether it’s because I lose interest, that time will come. That business frame of mind, I loved every meeting that I got to participate in. I learned through people in boardrooms. I learned from not knowing. I learned from asking questions. For a lot of athletes and celebrities, their business is endorsements. That’s as far as they go. You’ve pushed farther as an investor, as an entrepreneur, and as a strategic business leader. You’re on the board of a luxury fashion house, Moncler, a public company valued at more than $16 billion. Is being on a board a different pressure? How do you see your role on the board? Well, it’s a different type of intensity. Every meeting is like a U.N. meeting. They’re done in Italian because it’s an Italian public trading company. Every time you speak, there’s a similar microphone like this. You press a button, and it’s your time to speak. There’s a little bit of a delay. The one thing that you really miss is the sense of a match point, like in sport, where there’s this tension. You’re constantly under a little tension. When you finish something that you’ve held this tension in, there’s nothing really like it. There’s nothing that really gets your juices flowing, and being in that boardroom was one of the first times where I was like, “Wow. I’m in unfamiliar territory. I like this feeling of having to show up and having to prove something.” Not for everyone, but for myself, I took it as an opportunity to learn. Sitting in a room with Remo Ruffini, talking about a potential succession plan, talking about the evolution of business. Moncler is a seasonal business that’s mostly focused on the winter months. How do you become a company that’s not just relevant for 70% of the time, but for 95% of the time? I learn. I love it. And I get to be in a room with smart people. You always had a reputation on the court as being a killer competitor. Are you as competitive about business in the same way? I don’t think I’m as aggressive. I don’t pump my fist as often, but I have a competitive nature. I love teamwork. I love the idea of having a goal and everyone having different perspectives, and aligning on the same goal. Even though I played an individual sport, team was everything to me. Getting off the court, having a crap performance and acknowledging that we just lost as a team. There are those moments that they were tough parts of my career, but I really miss them. You’ve got an investment portfolio: BetterUp, Therabody, Supergoop. You’ve also been an entrepreneur. I know you launched a premium candy brand, Sugarpova, which unfortunately didn’t work out well and shuttered in 2021. What lessons have you learned from leading a startup, from investing in startups? I had Sugarpova for over 10 years while I was playing, and got it profitable after several years. It was an MBA on the job, ultimately. Going into it, I didn’t know what a P&L [profit and loss statement] was. I didn’t know what a strategic marketing plan was. Do you sell at a savings store, or do you sell premium? Are you scaling a product that costs $5? How are you doing it but maintaining its quality? That was incredibly valuable and something that I now get to think about as I invest in companies. You were the highest paid female athlete in the world for a decade plus. In a lot of ways, you set the blueprint for athletes that followed. Much is changing right now, so fast. Social media has such a role. Women’s sports outside of tennis is getting a lot more attention. Do you look at the blueprint for female athletes differently? Is that blueprint in flux in some ways? Well, there’s never been a playbook. If there was, I think it’s certainly being rewritten right now for female athletes. I think there are positives to it. There are also negatives. I think it’s easy to get distracted in the world, where there are more opportunities to make money, and there are more opportunities to take advantage of a successful career—whether you are a Grand Slam champion or whether you are a college player. I remember great financial deals that I had to say no to, because I knew that they would take up too much of my time saying yes to incredible events that, at the time, as a young girl, might seem really fun and interesting. But you also know that you’ve got to be on the other side of the world competing in Asia or Europe. There are a lot of sharks out there, and you have to find the right people. View the full article

The March 2026 core update brought what Google describes as a design “to better surface relevant, satisfying content for searchers from all types of sites.” This confirms the simplest truth in search: people use Google to get answers. Whether it’s solving a problem, learning something new, or making a decision, searchers want content that is genuinely helpful in their busy, on-the-go lives. If your content does that, it succeeds. If it doesn’t, no amount of SEO tricks, hacks, or magic bullets will get your content to show up on page one, let alone in AI Overviews. How modern search systems surface helpful content AI Overviews went from appearing for just 6.49% of queries in January 2025 to 15.69% in November 2025 according to a Semrush study. Depending on the source today, AI Overviews appear for 25-50% of queries. It’s clear that search engines and LLMs are working together more efficiently today than just a year ago. Fast forward another year, and we can only imagine. For any SEO focused on creating helpful content and understanding user intent, it’s a truly exciting time to be in the industry. Your genuinely useful content can be surfaced in AI Overviews using retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and query fan-out. RAG: Instead of just relying on what it “knows,” AI looks for relevant information across multiple sources before answering a query Query fan-out: One search query can be broken down into multiple related queries behind the scenes, helping AI and search engines build a more complete, useful response Entire papers have been written on these two concepts alone. The TL;DR is that SEO today is about more than just keywords or counting backlinks. Modern search is designed to connect searchers with content that actually answers their questions and satisfies user intent. Your customers search everywhere. Make sure your brand shows up. The SEO toolkit you know, plus the AI visibility data you need. Start Free Trial Get started with Why this raises the bar for SEO in 2026 and beyond These systems, and those still being implemented (see Google’s blog on TurboQuant), are getting better at recognizing and dismissing thin, duplicate, or superficial content. Pieces that simply restate what someone else has already said online, lack originality, and fail to demonstrate legitimate real-life experience will continue to struggle to rank. Depth, clarity, and expertise have always mattered, but SEOs who want to continue to succeed in 2026 and beyond are going to have to double down on these factors: Depth: This doesn’t mean write as much as you can on the topic. Gone are the days of fluffy, keyword-stuffed articles. Depth in 2026 means SEOs and content creators should address the searcher’s main question and related follow-ups. Clarity: Searchers are busy. They want quick answers. Make your content easy to scan and understand. Expertise: Demonstrate real-world knowledge and experience your audience can trust. For many SEOs, this is a welcome shift. It’s not about just checking off boxes anymore. Sure, we still have to do those things. But the bar for what constitutes good SEO is being raised far beyond the basics. When search engines evaluate content today, they’re looking for signals that SEOs and content creators are providing real value to searchers. Why visibility matters more than clicks for local SEO Small, local, or service-based businesses that rely on SEO-driven leads for revenue can use these same strategies, too. While success isn’t measured using the same metrics as it was just a couple of years ago, the result of good SEO remains: Get the business recommended before the competition for as many searches as possible. Two years ago, this meant clicks. Today, it means visibility. AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and AI Overviews often recommend businesses without linking to websites directly, if at all. A few tools have been developed to measure AI metrics, but these can get pricey, and as Elizabeth Rule said, “Measuring visibility is like trying to measure a wave with a ruler.” This is why maintaining strong communication between stakeholders and the SEO team is so important. When success can’t be measured simply, a simple question of “how’s business going?” matters now more than ever. Beyond user intent, SEOs need to understand user behavior, mood, and temperament. What ‘helpful content’ looks like in practice Here are five tips to get you started on creating content that is genuinely helpful: 1. Answer follow-up questions Think beyond the initial query. What will readers ask next? One of my favorite places to do research for this is the People Also Ask (PAA) section on SERP. For example, you’re writing about herniated disc treatment. Just Google “herniated disk treatment” and use the PAA feature to help you brainstorm more questions your audience may ask about the topic you’re writing. The more questions you click, the more ideas it’ll generate. 2. Show expertise and experience E-E-A-T is an SEO hill I will die on because it works. Share your knowledge, case studies, testimonials, or firsthand insights. This builds trust when done right and when you’re creating for people, not search engines. This is what the helpful content update of 2022 was all about. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. 3. Structure content clearly We’d all love to believe that everything we write is being read word-for-word. It’s not. People skim. They’re looking for an answer while they’re doing other things. This is why clearly structured web pages are so important on both mobile and desktop. Use headings, bullet points, and concise paragraphs to help readers quickly find answers. 4. Be authentic Authenticity sounds like a buzzword (and maybe it is), but people can tell when you’ve used AI to write something or when you’re just publishing content for SEO. Much as it pains me (an English major who loves to read long novels and write dissertations) to say, no one cares about your personal anecdotes or how many adjectives you can think of for your “superior” service. They just need an answer to the question they searched. Avoid fluff or filler. Real-world, practical content resonates better than generic advice. If someone called and asked you, “How long does it take to change the water heater in my 1950s home?” You wouldn’t need 1,500 words to answer them. The content you create on the internet should be the same. 5. Ask ‘who, what, and how?’ about your content If you’ve been paying attention to GEO/AEO/SEO for AI, this might sound familiar to you as a little something called semantic triples. This sounds intimidating at first, but it’s really just sixth-grade English. A semantic triple answers who, does what, for whom (or how). Remember diagramming sentences? It’s the relationship between the subject, predicate, and object. It can be any subject, predicate, and object: The plumber installs water heaters in Dallas The bakery bakes wedding cakes for couples I first heard about semantic triples from Mike King during SEO Week 2025 when he broke down his concept of relevance engineering. If you haven’t watched his video on this topic, I highly recommend it. The basic idea is that SEO is about your audience: Who are you talking to? What do they need? How do you reach them? A semantic triple answers these questions. It provides structure and clarity. It’s the “Who, What, and How” that Google told us about with the HCU documentation. It’s also genuinely valuable information for searchers. Knowledge is your superpower. You’re the only person who can tell your story, explain your process, and show readers why your business or brand matters. See the complete picture of your search visibility. Track, optimize, and win in Google and AI search from one platform. Start Free Trial Get started with Helpfulness is the competitive edge The most reliable SEO strategy remains the same with each new core update from Google: Create content that genuinely helps searchers. Focus on the problems your audience is trying to solve, answer their questions fully, and share your expertise. Thin or derivative content won’t cut it in a world of AI-driven search and retrieval systems. Google and AI platforms are trying to do the same thing searchers are doing: find the most helpful content. If you respond to that need, your content will rise to the top, no tricks, hacks, or shortcuts necessary. View the full article

Generally, when Google wants to take you into AI Mode from an AI Overview, it uses a button that says see more or some variation of that. But now Google is testing "Enter AI Mode" as the call to action.View the full article

Each month, we host an SEO update covering the latest in search and AI. During this month’s edition, our SEO experts Carolyn Shelby and Alex Moss, cover everything from the latest advances in Agentic AI to Google’s spam and core updates and why simply publishing more content is no longer enough and in many cases actively works against you. Read this recap for the highlights or watch the April 2026 SEO Update by Yoast to delve into the latest news. Watch the full recap on YouTube to dive deeper into these topics, hear some examples and hear the answer to audience questions. SEO and AI news from April 2026 Google introduces new AI agent signals and infrastructure Google added a new Google-agent user agent, signaling more explicit support for AI-driven crawling and interaction. At the same time, proposals like WebMCP aim to standardize how AI agents interact with websites, while Google leadership suggests search is evolving into an AI agent manager. Why it matters: The web is being restructured around agent access, not just human browsing. Actionable takeaway: Ensure your content is accessible and understandable for both traditional crawlers and emerging AI agents. Google continues expanding AI capabilities and efficiency Google introduced TurboQuant, a new approach to AI model compression that significantly improves efficiency. At the same time, Google is expanding task-based features in AI Mode and refining how users interact with AI-driven search experiences. Why it matters: As AI becomes faster and more integrated, user expectations and search behavior will continue to shift. Actionable takeaway: Focus on making content easy to extract and act on within AI-driven workflows. Structured data and documentation evolve for AI-first search Google added AI bot labels to forum and Q&A structured data, helping distinguish between human and AI-generated contributions. Google also updated its documentation with “read more” deep link best practices. Why it matters: Search engines are adapting their systems to better interpret and label AI-generated content. Actionable takeaway: Use structured data and clear linking practices to improve how your content is interpreted and displayed. Core updates, spam policies, and enforcement continue to tighten Google completed its March 2026 spam update and core update, while also introducing updates to spam policies addressing tactics like back button hijacking and improving spam reporting tools. Why it matters: Enforcement is becoming more granular, targeting both technical manipulation and low-value content. Actionable takeaway: Review your site for outdated or risky tactics and ensure a strong focus on quality and user experience. Platforms and tools expand AI-driven workflows Elementor launched Angie, an agentic AI for WordPress, while Cloudflare introduced EmDash as a WordPress alternative and continued work on agent readiness standards. Anthropic released Claude Design and previewed Mythos, while OpenAI tested an AdsBot and introduced a ChatGPT ad manager interface. Why it matters: AI is increasingly embedded directly into content creation, workflows, and monetization systems. Actionable takeaway: Evaluate how AI tools fit into your content and operational workflows, not just your marketing strategy. Authority, trust, and content quality remain central Google reinforced that commodity content does not perform well, while broader analysis highlights the importance of authority, freshness, and first-party signals. Why it matters: As AI systems synthesize answers, they rely more heavily on trusted, differentiated sources. Actionable takeaway: Invest in original, high-quality content and consistent brand signals across channels. Measurement and reporting begin shifting toward AI visibility Bing previewed AI Citation Share, and new dashboards are emerging that map how AI systems ground answers in source content. A temporary Google Search Console glitch also highlighted how dependent SEOs still are on traditional metrics. Why it matters: Visibility is moving beyond rankings into citation, inclusion, and influence within AI-generated responses. Actionable takeaway: Start paying attention to how your content appears in AI systems, not just where it ranks. Also in the news… Several additional developments are worth watching: Bing AI Dashboard maps grounding queries to cited pages Google develops its own desktop agent AI Mode expands in Chrome Cloudflare introduces an Agent Readiness score OpenAI releases ChatGPT Images 2.0 Anthropic reaches $30B ARR WordPress 7.0 release scheduled Yoast news See how your brand appears in AI-generated answers, for free The Yoast Perspective 2026: 7 things we learned from the SEO industry Sign up for the next SEO Update by Yoast The next SEO Update by Yoast is on May 21, 2026, at 4:00 PM CET (10:00 AM EST). Sign up to join the live discussion or get the recording. The post The April 2026 SEO Update by Yoast recap appeared first on Yoast. View the full article

The UK’s stagnant economy and the US’s dynamic one are both politically dysfunctional View the full article

Just a heads up, that a small setting within Google AdSense under the vignette ads may trigger your site to get a Google search penalty - specifically for the new back button hijacking search spam rule.View the full article

Google is testing removing some of the action buttons on local panels, Google Business Profiles, including call and share, and replacing it with a numbered show more button. Clicking on that button opens up those additional action options.View the full article

The Self Employment Tax Form, known as Schedule SE, is crucial for anyone with net self-employment income of $400 or more. This form helps you calculate your self-employment tax, which contributes to Social Security and Medicare. It’s filed alongside your IRS Form 1040, 1040-NR, or 1040-SR. Comprehending how to complete Schedule SE correctly can impact your overall tax liability. Let’s explore who needs to file and how to accurately calculate this tax obligation. Key Takeaways The self-employment tax form is Schedule SE, used to calculate self-employment tax obligations for individuals earning $400 or more. Schedule SE is filed alongside IRS Form 1040, 1040-NR, or 1040-SR to report self-employment income. It allows taxpayers to deduct 50% of self-employment tax from their gross income, reducing taxable income. Completing Schedule SE impacts eligibility for future Social Security benefits based on reported earnings. Failure to file or pay self-employment tax may result in penalties and interest charges from the IRS. Understanding Self-Employment Tax Self-employment tax (SE tax) is a crucial aspect of financial responsibility for individuals who earn income through self-employment. This federal tax is applicable if you earn $400 or more in net income. Currently, the SE tax rate is 15.3%, which breaks down into 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. High earners may furthermore face an extra 0.9% Medicare tax. To accurately report your obligations, you must file the Schedule SE form along with your 1040 self-employment tax form. It’s important to note that SE tax is calculated on 92.35% of your net earnings, ensuring you cover both employee and employer portions. Moreover, you can deduct 50% of the self-employment tax paid from your gross income on Form 1040, effectively reducing your taxable income and overall tax liability. Comprehending these details helps you manage your finances effectively and meet your tax obligations. What Is Schedule SE? Schedule SE is an essential tax form for self-employed individuals, as it helps you calculate and report your self-employment tax obligations, covering both Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you have net self-employment income of $400 or more, you’ll need to file it alongside IRS Form 1040, 1040-NR, or 1040-SR. This form not just outlines your tax calculation methodology but likewise allows you to deduct 50% of your self-employment tax, in the end lowering your taxable income. Purpose of Schedule SE When you earn $400 or more from freelance work or other self-employment activities, it’s crucial to understand the role of Schedule SE in your tax reporting. This form helps you calculate and report your self-employment tax obligations. Here’s what you need to know about the Schedule SE: Tax Calculation: It determines your self-employment tax rate of 15.3%, which includes Social Security and Medicare. Filing Requirements: You must file Schedule SE alongside your 1040 schedule SE to report your earnings properly. Deduction: You can deduct 50% of the self-employment tax from your income on Form 1040, reducing your taxable income. Social Security Benefits: Information reported helps determine your future eligibility for Social Security benefits. Filing Requirements Overview Comprehension of the filing requirements for Schedule SE is critical if you’ve earned $400 or more from self-employment activities. You’ll need to file Schedule SE with your IRS Form 1040 to report your self-employment tax obligations. This form is fundamental for various self-employed individuals, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and partners. On this schedule, you’ll calculate the self-employment tax owed based on your net earnings, which is taxed at a rate of 15.3%. Keep in mind you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax when determining your taxable income on Form 1040. In particular, make sure you report your net profit accurately on line 7 of Schedule SE to comply with IRS regulations effectively. Tax Calculation Methodology Comprehending how to calculate your self-employment tax is vital for accurately completing your tax return. To do this, you’ll use Schedule SE if your net self-employment income is $400 or more. Here’s how to calculate your self-employment tax: Determine your net profit from self-employment. Multiply that net profit by 92.35% to find your taxable self-employment income. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare) to your taxable income. Remember, you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax from your total income on Form 1040. Filing Schedule SE alongside Form 1040 guarantees you’re accurately reporting your self-employment tax. Who Needs to File Schedule SE? Many individuals engaged in self-employment may need to file Schedule SE if their net earnings from self-employment activities reach $400 or more during the tax year. This includes independent contractors, sole proprietors, and partners providing services to partnerships. If you own a single-member LLC, you’re also required to file Schedule SE once you meet this income threshold. Furthermore, ministers and members of religious orders must file Schedule SE if they earn $108.28 or more, except they’ve filed for an exemption with Form 4361. When you file Schedule C, Schedule SE is automatically generated, making the process easier, except you have zero net income or report statutory income on a W-2. It’s crucial to understand these requirements to guarantee compliance and avoid potential penalties. Filing IRS Schedule SE accurately helps you calculate your self-employment tax and maintain good standing with the IRS. Self-Employment Tax Rate When you’re self-employed, comprehension of the self-employment tax rate is essential for your financial planning. For 2025, the rate stands at 15.3%, which includes contributions to Social Security and Medicare, but earnings over $176,100 are only subject to the Medicare portion. Moreover, if you earn over $200,000 as a single filer or $250,000 as a couple, you’ll face an extra Medicare tax, so being aware of these thresholds can greatly impact your tax liability. Tax Rate Breakdown Comprehending the self-employment tax rate is crucial for anyone earning income through self-employment, as it directly impacts your overall tax liability. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, broken down as follows: 12.4% for Social Security on net earnings up to $176,100 for 2025. 2.9% for Medicare on all net earnings, regardless of amount. An additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies if you earn over $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married). The maximum Social Security contribution is capped at $21,469.20 for the tax year 2025. Earnings Cap Impact Comprehending how the earnings cap affects your self-employment tax liability is vital for effective financial planning. For the tax year 2025, the self-employment tax rate stands at 15.3%, which comprises 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. This rate applies to net earnings up to $176,100. If your earnings exceed this cap, the Medicare tax continues at 2.9%, with an additional 0.9% for single filers earning over $200,000 or married couples over $250,000. Your maximum contribution to Social Security is capped at $17,707.20, reflecting 12.4% of the maximum taxable earnings. To determine your self-employment tax liability, report your net earnings after expenses on Schedule SE, as grasping these limits is fundamental for tax planning. Additional Medicare Tax The Additional Medicare Tax is an important consideration for self-employed individuals whose net earnings exceed certain thresholds. This tax adds an extra 0.9% on income above $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for married couples filing jointly. Here are some key points to remember: It applies only to income exceeding the threshold; the standard Medicare tax of 2.9% remains for all earnings. There’s no income cap for this additional tax. It’s calculated in addition to the standard self-employment tax rate of 15.3%. You must report this tax on your annual tax return using Form 1040, including it in your total self-employment tax due. Keep these details in mind to guarantee compliance. How to Calculate Self-Employment Tax Calculating your self-employment tax is essential for comprehending your tax obligations. To start, you need to determine your net earnings from self-employment. Multiply this amount by 92.35% to find the taxable income for self-employment tax. For example, if your net income is $50,000, you’d calculate $50,000 x 92.35%, resulting in $46,175. Next, apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to this figure. This rate consists of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. For 2025, Social Security tax applies up to $176,100. If your income exceeds this threshold, only the 2.9% Medicare tax continues, plus an additional 0.9% for earnings over $200,000 for single filers. Finally, complete Schedule SE and submit it with your Form 1040, using net profit reported from Schedule C or Schedule F to finalize your tax liability. Reporting Self-Employment Tax on Form 1040 Reporting self-employment tax on Form 1040 is an important step for independent workers to guarantee they meet their tax responsibilities. To accurately report your self-employment tax, follow these steps: Complete Schedule SE: File this form alongside your Form 1040 if your net self-employment income is $400 or more. Calculate Tax: Schedule SE determines a 15.3% tax rate on 92.35% of your net earnings, split between Social Security and Medicare contributions. Report on Form 1040: After calculating your tax, enter the amount in the “Other Taxes” section of Form 1040. Claim Deduction: Don’t forget, you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax, which helps reduce your taxable income. Accurate completion of Schedule SE is significant, as it not just affects your tax liability but impacts your future Social Security benefits. Payment and Reporting Obligations When you’re self-employed, keeping track of your payment and reporting obligations is crucial. You’ll need to make estimated quarterly tax payments using Form 1040-ES if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal taxes for the year. At the end of the year, you’ll report your self-employment tax on Schedule SE and include it in the Other Taxes section of Form 1040. Quarterly Estimated Payments Making quarterly estimated tax payments is an important responsibility for self-employed individuals, especially if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal taxes for the year. Here’s what you need to know: Use Form 1040-ES to submit your payments. Payments are due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. Calculate your estimated payment by considering expected income, deductions, and tax credits. Each payment should cover both income tax and self-employment tax obligations. Timely payments are vital, as failure to pay can result in penalties and interest charges from the IRS. Staying on top of these payments helps you avoid unexpected financial burdens when tax season arrives. Annual Tax Filing Filing your annual tax return is a crucial step in managing your self-employment responsibilities, as it allows you to reconcile your estimated quarterly payments with your actual tax liability. If your net self-employment income is $400 or more, you’ll need to file Schedule SE with Form 1040 to report your self-employment tax obligations. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, which includes 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Deductions for Self-Employed Individuals Deductions for self-employed individuals play a crucial role in managing tax liability, as they can greatly lower taxable income. By comprehending and claiming the right deductions, you can notably reduce the amount you owe. Here are some key deductions to take into account: 50% of Self-Employment Tax: You can deduct half of your self-employment tax directly from your income on Form 1040. Business Expenses: Costs like advertising, insurance, and travel can be claimed on Schedule C, lowering your net profit. Qualified Business Income Deduction: You might qualify for a deduction of up to 20% on your qualified business income, further decreasing your tax liability. Home Office Deduction: If you run a home-based business, you can deduct a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, and utilities based on business use. Consequences of Not Paying Self-Employment Tax Neglecting to pay your self-employment tax can lead to serious financial repercussions. If you fail to pay, the IRS may impose penalties of 0.5% of your unpaid taxes each month, escalating to 5% per month if you don’t file your tax return on time. Moreover, interest charges accumulate daily on any outstanding balance, compounding your financial burden. You might receive a CP2000 notice from the IRS if there are discrepancies between your reported income and their records, suggesting adjustments to your self-employment tax along with penalties and interest. Ignoring these obligations can result in significant consequences, including potential enforcement actions by the IRS to collect unpaid taxes. In addition, not paying your self-employment tax can hinder your ability to qualify for Social Security benefits, as these contributions are directly tied to your tax payments. Taking these obligations seriously is vital to avoid further complications. Common Forms Associated With Self-Employment Tax When you’re self-employed, comprehension of the key forms associated with self-employment tax is vital for managing your finances. You’ll primarily use Schedule SE to report your self-employment tax, alongside Form 1040, if your net earnings reach at least $400. Furthermore, forms like Schedule C, Form 1099-NEC, and Form 8829 play significant roles in income reporting and claiming deductions, impacting your overall tax obligations. Essential Self-Employment Forms Comprehending the crucial forms associated with self-employment tax is important for managing your finances and guaranteeing compliance with IRS regulations. Here are four fundamental forms you should be aware of: Schedule SE – This form reports your self-employment tax, required if your net income is $400 or more. Schedule C – Use this to report profit or loss from your business operations, detailing income and expenses. Form 1099-NEC – Clients issue this form to report any non-employee compensation exceeding $600, which you must include in your income. Form 8829 – If you have a home office, use this form to deduct related expenses, provided it’s your principal place of business. Understanding these forms helps guarantee you’re on the right track with your self-employment taxes. Income Reporting Requirements Comprehending income reporting requirements is essential for self-employed individuals to secure accurate tax filings and compliance with IRS rules. You’ll need to report your income using Schedule C to detail all business income and expenses, which directly affects your self-employment tax calculations. If you receive Form 1099-NEC from clients for non-employee compensation over $600, make sure to reconcile it with your records to confirm accurate reporting. Furthermore, file Schedule SE with your Form 1040 if your net earnings exceed $400, as this form calculates your self-employment tax. If you operate from a home office, use Form 8829 to report related expenses, allowing you to deduct those costs from your taxable income, further impacting your overall tax liability. Deduction and Credit Forms Self-employed individuals often find themselves maneuvering a variety of deduction and credit forms to optimize their tax obligations. Here are some common forms you should be aware of: Schedule C: Use this to report your business income and expenses, fundamental for determining your taxable income. Schedule SE: This calculates your self-employment tax obligations, essential for comprehending what you owe. Form 1040-ES: Ideal for making estimated tax payments, it helps you manage tax liabilities throughout the year. Form 8829: Claim expenses related to the business use of your home, which can considerably reduce your taxable income. Filing Form 1099-NEC is likewise critical for reporting nonemployee compensation, directly impacting your self-employment income calculation. Methods for Calculating Schedule SE When calculating self-employment tax, comprehension of the methods available on Schedule SE is crucial for ensuring accurate tax reporting. You can choose between the “Short Schedule SE” and the “Long Schedule SE.” If your net earnings are below $400 or you meet specific criteria, the Short Schedule SE suffices. On the other hand, if your self-employment income exceeds the Social Security wage base limit or you have both self-employment and church employee income, you’ll need the Long Schedule SE for more detailed calculations. To determine your self-employment tax, multiply your net earnings from self-employment by 92.35%, then apply the 15.3% tax rate. For earnings up to $176,100 in 2025, this tax consists of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Special Considerations for LLC Members As a member of an LLC, you need to understand how your income is taxed, especially regarding self-employment tax obligations. Here are some key points to keep in mind: If you’re in a single-member LLC, report your self-employment income on Schedule C, filing Schedule SE if your net earnings exceed $400. Multi-member LLCs typically file taxes as partnerships, requiring each member to report their share on Schedule K-1 and file Schedule SE if needed. You’re subject to self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3% on net earnings, which includes both Social Security (12.4%) and Medicare (2.9%) taxes. Remember, you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax when calculating your adjusted gross income on Form 1040, providing a tax benefit. Maintaining accurate records of your income and expenses is crucial to guarantee compliance and avoid penalties. How to Handle IRS Notices Receiving an IRS notice can be a challenging experience, especially for those managing their own businesses. If you receive a CP2000 notice, it means there’s a discrepancy between your reported income and the IRS’s records, particularly regarding self-employment tax. It’s crucial to act without delay; failing to respond can incur monthly penalties of 0.5% on unpaid taxes, escalating to 5% if you don’t file your return by the deadline. Review the notice carefully to determine the required actions, whether it’s providing additional information or making payments. Keep in mind that interest charges on outstanding balances accrue daily, compounding the total amount owed. To avoid future notices, maintain accurate records and regularly compare your reported income with IRS records. This proactive approach not just helps you stay compliant but equally minimizes the risk of penalties and stress associated with IRS communications. Resources for Self-Employed Taxpayers Maneuvering through the intricacies of self-employment taxes can be intimidating, but several resources are available to help you comprehend your obligations and maximize your benefits. Familiarizing yourself with these can make tax time less stressful. IRS Tax Topic 554: This provides crucial information on filing requirements and tax benefits for self-employed individuals. Schedule SE Instructions: These guide you on calculating your self-employment tax based on your net earnings. Form 1040-ES: Use this for estimated quarterly tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal tax. Tax Preparation Software: Many programs offer features particularly for self-employed taxpayers, helping you navigate deductions and tax calculations. These resources can improve your comprehension, ensuring you meet your tax obligations during the optimization of your benefits as a self-employed individual. Frequently Asked Questions Do I File a 1099 for Self-Employment? You don’t file a 1099 for self-employment. Instead, clients who pay you $600 or more for your services must issue Form 1099-NEC to report those payments. You’ll receive a copy, which you should compare with your own records to guarantee accuracy. If you notice discrepancies, reach out to the client to resolve them before filing your taxes, helping you avoid complications with tax authorities. Always keep detailed records of your income and expenses. What IRS Form Do I Use for Self-Employment? For self-employment, you’ll need to use Schedule C to report your business income and expenses. If your net income is $400 or more, you must likewise file Schedule SE to calculate your self-employment tax, which is 15.3%. This amount includes contributions to Social Security and Medicare. When completing your Form 1040, keep in mind that you can deduct half of your self-employment tax, which can reduce your taxable income. Is a W-9 Form the Same as Self-Employment? No, a W-9 form isn’t the same as self-employment. The W-9 is used to provide your taxpayer identification information to clients or businesses that pay you, often for freelance work. It helps them report payments to the IRS. Self-employment tax, on the other hand, applies to your net earnings when you earn $400 or more from self-employment. You calculate this tax on your annual return using Schedule SE, not the W-9 form. How Much Is 1099 Self-Employment Tax? If you’re self-employed and receive a 1099 form, you’ll typically pay a self-employment tax of 15.3% on your net earnings. This tax includes both Social Security and Medicare contributions. For 2025, the first $176,100 of your earnings is subject to a 12.4% Social Security tax, whereas all earnings incur a 2.9% Medicare tax. If you earn above $200,000 as a single filer, an additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies. Conclusion In conclusion, comprehending the self-employment tax form, particularly Schedule SE, is crucial for anyone with net self-employment income of $400 or more. By accurately calculating your self-employment tax, you guarantee compliance with IRS regulations during the process and benefiting from potential deductions. Whether you’re an LLC member or a sole proprietor, staying informed about your tax obligations will help you manage your finances effectively. For further guidance, consider utilizing available resources customized for self-employed taxpayers. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is the Self Employment Tax Form?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The Self Employment Tax Form, known as Schedule SE, is crucial for anyone with net self-employment income of $400 or more. This form helps you calculate your self-employment tax, which contributes to Social Security and Medicare. It’s filed alongside your IRS Form 1040, 1040-NR, or 1040-SR. Comprehending how to complete Schedule SE correctly can impact your overall tax liability. Let’s explore who needs to file and how to accurately calculate this tax obligation. Key Takeaways The self-employment tax form is Schedule SE, used to calculate self-employment tax obligations for individuals earning $400 or more. Schedule SE is filed alongside IRS Form 1040, 1040-NR, or 1040-SR to report self-employment income. It allows taxpayers to deduct 50% of self-employment tax from their gross income, reducing taxable income. Completing Schedule SE impacts eligibility for future Social Security benefits based on reported earnings. Failure to file or pay self-employment tax may result in penalties and interest charges from the IRS. Understanding Self-Employment Tax Self-employment tax (SE tax) is a crucial aspect of financial responsibility for individuals who earn income through self-employment. This federal tax is applicable if you earn $400 or more in net income. Currently, the SE tax rate is 15.3%, which breaks down into 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. High earners may furthermore face an extra 0.9% Medicare tax. To accurately report your obligations, you must file the Schedule SE form along with your 1040 self-employment tax form. It’s important to note that SE tax is calculated on 92.35% of your net earnings, ensuring you cover both employee and employer portions. Moreover, you can deduct 50% of the self-employment tax paid from your gross income on Form 1040, effectively reducing your taxable income and overall tax liability. Comprehending these details helps you manage your finances effectively and meet your tax obligations. What Is Schedule SE? Schedule SE is an essential tax form for self-employed individuals, as it helps you calculate and report your self-employment tax obligations, covering both Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you have net self-employment income of $400 or more, you’ll need to file it alongside IRS Form 1040, 1040-NR, or 1040-SR. This form not just outlines your tax calculation methodology but likewise allows you to deduct 50% of your self-employment tax, in the end lowering your taxable income. Purpose of Schedule SE When you earn $400 or more from freelance work or other self-employment activities, it’s crucial to understand the role of Schedule SE in your tax reporting. This form helps you calculate and report your self-employment tax obligations. Here’s what you need to know about the Schedule SE: Tax Calculation: It determines your self-employment tax rate of 15.3%, which includes Social Security and Medicare. Filing Requirements: You must file Schedule SE alongside your 1040 schedule SE to report your earnings properly. Deduction: You can deduct 50% of the self-employment tax from your income on Form 1040, reducing your taxable income. Social Security Benefits: Information reported helps determine your future eligibility for Social Security benefits. Filing Requirements Overview Comprehension of the filing requirements for Schedule SE is critical if you’ve earned $400 or more from self-employment activities. You’ll need to file Schedule SE with your IRS Form 1040 to report your self-employment tax obligations. This form is fundamental for various self-employed individuals, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and partners. On this schedule, you’ll calculate the self-employment tax owed based on your net earnings, which is taxed at a rate of 15.3%. Keep in mind you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax when determining your taxable income on Form 1040. In particular, make sure you report your net profit accurately on line 7 of Schedule SE to comply with IRS regulations effectively. Tax Calculation Methodology Comprehending how to calculate your self-employment tax is vital for accurately completing your tax return. To do this, you’ll use Schedule SE if your net self-employment income is $400 or more. Here’s how to calculate your self-employment tax: Determine your net profit from self-employment. Multiply that net profit by 92.35% to find your taxable self-employment income. Apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare) to your taxable income. Remember, you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax from your total income on Form 1040. Filing Schedule SE alongside Form 1040 guarantees you’re accurately reporting your self-employment tax. Who Needs to File Schedule SE? Many individuals engaged in self-employment may need to file Schedule SE if their net earnings from self-employment activities reach $400 or more during the tax year. This includes independent contractors, sole proprietors, and partners providing services to partnerships. If you own a single-member LLC, you’re also required to file Schedule SE once you meet this income threshold. Furthermore, ministers and members of religious orders must file Schedule SE if they earn $108.28 or more, except they’ve filed for an exemption with Form 4361. When you file Schedule C, Schedule SE is automatically generated, making the process easier, except you have zero net income or report statutory income on a W-2. It’s crucial to understand these requirements to guarantee compliance and avoid potential penalties. Filing IRS Schedule SE accurately helps you calculate your self-employment tax and maintain good standing with the IRS. Self-Employment Tax Rate When you’re self-employed, comprehension of the self-employment tax rate is essential for your financial planning. For 2025, the rate stands at 15.3%, which includes contributions to Social Security and Medicare, but earnings over $176,100 are only subject to the Medicare portion. Moreover, if you earn over $200,000 as a single filer or $250,000 as a couple, you’ll face an extra Medicare tax, so being aware of these thresholds can greatly impact your tax liability. Tax Rate Breakdown Comprehending the self-employment tax rate is crucial for anyone earning income through self-employment, as it directly impacts your overall tax liability. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, broken down as follows: 12.4% for Social Security on net earnings up to $176,100 for 2025. 2.9% for Medicare on all net earnings, regardless of amount. An additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies if you earn over $200,000 (single) or $250,000 (married). The maximum Social Security contribution is capped at $21,469.20 for the tax year 2025. Earnings Cap Impact Comprehending how the earnings cap affects your self-employment tax liability is vital for effective financial planning. For the tax year 2025, the self-employment tax rate stands at 15.3%, which comprises 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. This rate applies to net earnings up to $176,100. If your earnings exceed this cap, the Medicare tax continues at 2.9%, with an additional 0.9% for single filers earning over $200,000 or married couples over $250,000. Your maximum contribution to Social Security is capped at $17,707.20, reflecting 12.4% of the maximum taxable earnings. To determine your self-employment tax liability, report your net earnings after expenses on Schedule SE, as grasping these limits is fundamental for tax planning. Additional Medicare Tax The Additional Medicare Tax is an important consideration for self-employed individuals whose net earnings exceed certain thresholds. This tax adds an extra 0.9% on income above $200,000 for single filers and $250,000 for married couples filing jointly. Here are some key points to remember: It applies only to income exceeding the threshold; the standard Medicare tax of 2.9% remains for all earnings. There’s no income cap for this additional tax. It’s calculated in addition to the standard self-employment tax rate of 15.3%. You must report this tax on your annual tax return using Form 1040, including it in your total self-employment tax due. Keep these details in mind to guarantee compliance. How to Calculate Self-Employment Tax Calculating your self-employment tax is essential for comprehending your tax obligations. To start, you need to determine your net earnings from self-employment. Multiply this amount by 92.35% to find the taxable income for self-employment tax. For example, if your net income is $50,000, you’d calculate $50,000 x 92.35%, resulting in $46,175. Next, apply the self-employment tax rate of 15.3% to this figure. This rate consists of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. For 2025, Social Security tax applies up to $176,100. If your income exceeds this threshold, only the 2.9% Medicare tax continues, plus an additional 0.9% for earnings over $200,000 for single filers. Finally, complete Schedule SE and submit it with your Form 1040, using net profit reported from Schedule C or Schedule F to finalize your tax liability. Reporting Self-Employment Tax on Form 1040 Reporting self-employment tax on Form 1040 is an important step for independent workers to guarantee they meet their tax responsibilities. To accurately report your self-employment tax, follow these steps: Complete Schedule SE: File this form alongside your Form 1040 if your net self-employment income is $400 or more. Calculate Tax: Schedule SE determines a 15.3% tax rate on 92.35% of your net earnings, split between Social Security and Medicare contributions. Report on Form 1040: After calculating your tax, enter the amount in the “Other Taxes” section of Form 1040. Claim Deduction: Don’t forget, you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax, which helps reduce your taxable income. Accurate completion of Schedule SE is significant, as it not just affects your tax liability but impacts your future Social Security benefits. Payment and Reporting Obligations When you’re self-employed, keeping track of your payment and reporting obligations is crucial. You’ll need to make estimated quarterly tax payments using Form 1040-ES if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal taxes for the year. At the end of the year, you’ll report your self-employment tax on Schedule SE and include it in the Other Taxes section of Form 1040. Quarterly Estimated Payments Making quarterly estimated tax payments is an important responsibility for self-employed individuals, especially if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal taxes for the year. Here’s what you need to know: Use Form 1040-ES to submit your payments. Payments are due on January 15, April 15, June 15, and September 15. Calculate your estimated payment by considering expected income, deductions, and tax credits. Each payment should cover both income tax and self-employment tax obligations. Timely payments are vital, as failure to pay can result in penalties and interest charges from the IRS. Staying on top of these payments helps you avoid unexpected financial burdens when tax season arrives. Annual Tax Filing Filing your annual tax return is a crucial step in managing your self-employment responsibilities, as it allows you to reconcile your estimated quarterly payments with your actual tax liability. If your net self-employment income is $400 or more, you’ll need to file Schedule SE with Form 1040 to report your self-employment tax obligations. The self-employment tax rate is 15.3%, which includes 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Deductions for Self-Employed Individuals Deductions for self-employed individuals play a crucial role in managing tax liability, as they can greatly lower taxable income. By comprehending and claiming the right deductions, you can notably reduce the amount you owe. Here are some key deductions to take into account: 50% of Self-Employment Tax: You can deduct half of your self-employment tax directly from your income on Form 1040. Business Expenses: Costs like advertising, insurance, and travel can be claimed on Schedule C, lowering your net profit. Qualified Business Income Deduction: You might qualify for a deduction of up to 20% on your qualified business income, further decreasing your tax liability. Home Office Deduction: If you run a home-based business, you can deduct a portion of your mortgage interest, insurance, and utilities based on business use. Consequences of Not Paying Self-Employment Tax Neglecting to pay your self-employment tax can lead to serious financial repercussions. If you fail to pay, the IRS may impose penalties of 0.5% of your unpaid taxes each month, escalating to 5% per month if you don’t file your tax return on time. Moreover, interest charges accumulate daily on any outstanding balance, compounding your financial burden. You might receive a CP2000 notice from the IRS if there are discrepancies between your reported income and their records, suggesting adjustments to your self-employment tax along with penalties and interest. Ignoring these obligations can result in significant consequences, including potential enforcement actions by the IRS to collect unpaid taxes. In addition, not paying your self-employment tax can hinder your ability to qualify for Social Security benefits, as these contributions are directly tied to your tax payments. Taking these obligations seriously is vital to avoid further complications. Common Forms Associated With Self-Employment Tax When you’re self-employed, comprehension of the key forms associated with self-employment tax is vital for managing your finances. You’ll primarily use Schedule SE to report your self-employment tax, alongside Form 1040, if your net earnings reach at least $400. Furthermore, forms like Schedule C, Form 1099-NEC, and Form 8829 play significant roles in income reporting and claiming deductions, impacting your overall tax obligations. Essential Self-Employment Forms Comprehending the crucial forms associated with self-employment tax is important for managing your finances and guaranteeing compliance with IRS regulations. Here are four fundamental forms you should be aware of: Schedule SE – This form reports your self-employment tax, required if your net income is $400 or more. Schedule C – Use this to report profit or loss from your business operations, detailing income and expenses. Form 1099-NEC – Clients issue this form to report any non-employee compensation exceeding $600, which you must include in your income. Form 8829 – If you have a home office, use this form to deduct related expenses, provided it’s your principal place of business. Understanding these forms helps guarantee you’re on the right track with your self-employment taxes. Income Reporting Requirements Comprehending income reporting requirements is essential for self-employed individuals to secure accurate tax filings and compliance with IRS rules. You’ll need to report your income using Schedule C to detail all business income and expenses, which directly affects your self-employment tax calculations. If you receive Form 1099-NEC from clients for non-employee compensation over $600, make sure to reconcile it with your records to confirm accurate reporting. Furthermore, file Schedule SE with your Form 1040 if your net earnings exceed $400, as this form calculates your self-employment tax. If you operate from a home office, use Form 8829 to report related expenses, allowing you to deduct those costs from your taxable income, further impacting your overall tax liability. Deduction and Credit Forms Self-employed individuals often find themselves maneuvering a variety of deduction and credit forms to optimize their tax obligations. Here are some common forms you should be aware of: Schedule C: Use this to report your business income and expenses, fundamental for determining your taxable income. Schedule SE: This calculates your self-employment tax obligations, essential for comprehending what you owe. Form 1040-ES: Ideal for making estimated tax payments, it helps you manage tax liabilities throughout the year. Form 8829: Claim expenses related to the business use of your home, which can considerably reduce your taxable income. Filing Form 1099-NEC is likewise critical for reporting nonemployee compensation, directly impacting your self-employment income calculation. Methods for Calculating Schedule SE When calculating self-employment tax, comprehension of the methods available on Schedule SE is crucial for ensuring accurate tax reporting. You can choose between the “Short Schedule SE” and the “Long Schedule SE.” If your net earnings are below $400 or you meet specific criteria, the Short Schedule SE suffices. On the other hand, if your self-employment income exceeds the Social Security wage base limit or you have both self-employment and church employee income, you’ll need the Long Schedule SE for more detailed calculations. To determine your self-employment tax, multiply your net earnings from self-employment by 92.35%, then apply the 15.3% tax rate. For earnings up to $176,100 in 2025, this tax consists of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Special Considerations for LLC Members As a member of an LLC, you need to understand how your income is taxed, especially regarding self-employment tax obligations. Here are some key points to keep in mind: If you’re in a single-member LLC, report your self-employment income on Schedule C, filing Schedule SE if your net earnings exceed $400. Multi-member LLCs typically file taxes as partnerships, requiring each member to report their share on Schedule K-1 and file Schedule SE if needed. You’re subject to self-employment tax at a rate of 15.3% on net earnings, which includes both Social Security (12.4%) and Medicare (2.9%) taxes. Remember, you can deduct 50% of your self-employment tax when calculating your adjusted gross income on Form 1040, providing a tax benefit. Maintaining accurate records of your income and expenses is crucial to guarantee compliance and avoid penalties. How to Handle IRS Notices Receiving an IRS notice can be a challenging experience, especially for those managing their own businesses. If you receive a CP2000 notice, it means there’s a discrepancy between your reported income and the IRS’s records, particularly regarding self-employment tax. It’s crucial to act without delay; failing to respond can incur monthly penalties of 0.5% on unpaid taxes, escalating to 5% if you don’t file your return by the deadline. Review the notice carefully to determine the required actions, whether it’s providing additional information or making payments. Keep in mind that interest charges on outstanding balances accrue daily, compounding the total amount owed. To avoid future notices, maintain accurate records and regularly compare your reported income with IRS records. This proactive approach not just helps you stay compliant but equally minimizes the risk of penalties and stress associated with IRS communications. Resources for Self-Employed Taxpayers Maneuvering through the intricacies of self-employment taxes can be intimidating, but several resources are available to help you comprehend your obligations and maximize your benefits. Familiarizing yourself with these can make tax time less stressful. IRS Tax Topic 554: This provides crucial information on filing requirements and tax benefits for self-employed individuals. Schedule SE Instructions: These guide you on calculating your self-employment tax based on your net earnings. Form 1040-ES: Use this for estimated quarterly tax payments if you expect to owe $1,000 or more in federal tax. Tax Preparation Software: Many programs offer features particularly for self-employed taxpayers, helping you navigate deductions and tax calculations. These resources can improve your comprehension, ensuring you meet your tax obligations during the optimization of your benefits as a self-employed individual. Frequently Asked Questions Do I File a 1099 for Self-Employment? You don’t file a 1099 for self-employment. Instead, clients who pay you $600 or more for your services must issue Form 1099-NEC to report those payments. You’ll receive a copy, which you should compare with your own records to guarantee accuracy. If you notice discrepancies, reach out to the client to resolve them before filing your taxes, helping you avoid complications with tax authorities. Always keep detailed records of your income and expenses. What IRS Form Do I Use for Self-Employment? For self-employment, you’ll need to use Schedule C to report your business income and expenses. If your net income is $400 or more, you must likewise file Schedule SE to calculate your self-employment tax, which is 15.3%. This amount includes contributions to Social Security and Medicare. When completing your Form 1040, keep in mind that you can deduct half of your self-employment tax, which can reduce your taxable income. Is a W-9 Form the Same as Self-Employment? No, a W-9 form isn’t the same as self-employment. The W-9 is used to provide your taxpayer identification information to clients or businesses that pay you, often for freelance work. It helps them report payments to the IRS. Self-employment tax, on the other hand, applies to your net earnings when you earn $400 or more from self-employment. You calculate this tax on your annual return using Schedule SE, not the W-9 form. How Much Is 1099 Self-Employment Tax? If you’re self-employed and receive a 1099 form, you’ll typically pay a self-employment tax of 15.3% on your net earnings. This tax includes both Social Security and Medicare contributions. For 2025, the first $176,100 of your earnings is subject to a 12.4% Social Security tax, whereas all earnings incur a 2.9% Medicare tax. If you earn above $200,000 as a single filer, an additional 0.9% Medicare tax applies. Conclusion In conclusion, comprehending the self-employment tax form, particularly Schedule SE, is crucial for anyone with net self-employment income of $400 or more. By accurately calculating your self-employment tax, you guarantee compliance with IRS regulations during the process and benefiting from potential deductions. Whether you’re an LLC member or a sole proprietor, staying informed about your tax obligations will help you manage your finances effectively. For further guidance, consider utilizing available resources customized for self-employed taxpayers. 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The short answer: Agentic AI is now accessible to small businesses, and it can deliver real efficiency gains. But it works only if your processes, data, and people are ready for it. Moving fast without that foundation will cost you more than it saves. Here’s what small business owners need to know before they automate anything. What Is Agentic AI, and How Is It Different from the AI Tools Small Businesses Already Use? Most small businesses are already familiar with AI that helps write emails, generate content, or answer basic customer questions. That’s generative AI, which is AI that responds when you ask it something. Agentic AI goes further. It doesn’t just respond; it acts. An agentic system can observe a situation, determine what needs to happen, and carry out a sequence of actions to get there, often without human input at each step. In practice, for a small business, that looks like: A customer submits a support request. The agent categorizes it, checks order history, drafts a response, and sends it without anyone reviewing it. A new lead fills out a form. The agent scores the lead, adds it to your pipeline, sends a personalized follow-up, and schedules a discovery call. An invoice arrives. The agent extracts the data, matches it to a purchase order, flags discrepancies, and queues payment for approval. Is Agentic AI Actually Accessible to Small Businesses Now? Yes, and that’s what makes 2025 a real inflection point. A few years ago, deploying an AI agent required a dedicated engineering team and a substantial budget. Today, agentic capabilities are being built directly into the software small businesses already use: their CRMs, project management platforms, customer service tools, and accounting software. The compounding effect is real. Small businesses that begin building familiarity with agentic workflows now will have a meaningful head start over those who wait — not because the technology will become harder to access, but because organizational learning takes time. Simultaneously, the risks of moving too fast are equally real. Automating a broken process doesn’t fix it — it breaks it faster and at greater scale. How Do You Know If Your Small Business Is Ready for Agentic AI? Before deploying any agentic AI, ask yourself these four questions: 1. Do your existing processes actually work? Agentic AI amplifies whatever it touches. If your customer follow-up process is inconsistent or your lead qualification criteria are vague, an agent will execute those inconsistencies at scale. Map the process clearly first, and define what “good” looks like before you ask a system to replicate it. 2. Do you have clean, reliable data? Agents make decisions based on the data they can access. Duplicate contacts, outdated inventory numbers, or incomplete customer records will produce bad decisions at machine speed. Data hygiene is foundational. Do that work before you automate. 3. Who on your team will own the agent’s decisions? Even the most capable agents need a human owner — someone who reviews outcomes, adjusts parameters when things drift, and escalates edge cases. “The AI handles it” is not an accountability structure. Identify that person before you launch. 4. What’s your plan when the agent gets it wrong? Every automated system will eventually make a mistake. Design your recovery path before you need it: How will you know when something has gone wrong? Who gets alerted? How quickly can you override or pause the agent? Where Should Small Businesses Start with Agentic AI? Start with the tasks nobody wants to do anyway. The best early use cases for agentic AI are high-repetition, low-stakes workflows where the cost of an occasional error is manageable and the efficiency gain is immediate. Best entry points for small businesses: Appointment scheduling and follow-up reminders Routine data entry and invoice processing Lead scoring and initial outreach sequencing Internal status updates and report generation Where to hold back for now: Customer complaints requiring empathy or creative problem-solving Sensitive negotiations or relationship-defining conversations Any interaction where tone and judgment materially affect trust Scale gradually. Start with one workflow. Run it in parallel with your existing process for a few weeks. Compare outcomes. Then decide whether to expand. Businesses that pilot carefully end up with more reliable automation than those who try to overhaul everything at once. The Bottom Line Agentic AI is a genuinely powerful set of tools that, applied carefully, can help small businesses operate with the kind of consistency and efficiency that was previously only achievable at scale. The businesses that will get the most out of it won’t be the ones who sprint. They’ll be the ones who take the time to understand what they’re automating, why it matters, and where humans still need to be in the loop. This week, pick one repetitive task in your business that consumes time and produces predictable outputs. Map every step. Ask whether a system could own it. If the answer is yes, you’re ready to take your first step. Further Questions About Agentic AI for Small Businesses What’s the difference between agentic AI and a chatbot? A chatbot responds to inputs but doesn’t take independent action. An agentic AI system can take a sequence of actions across multiple tools and systems to complete a task without a human prompting each step. Think of a chatbot as a reference desk and an agent as an employee who gets things done. How much does it cost to implement agentic AI in a small business? Costs vary widely. Many small businesses access agentic capabilities through software they already subscribe to, such as newer versions of CRM, accounting, or customer service platforms that include agent features at no additional cost. Standalone agentic tools typically range from free tiers for basic use to a few hundred dollars per month for more advanced configurations. Can a small business implement agentic AI without a technical team? Yes. The current generation of agentic tools is designed for business users, not engineers. Most platforms offer visual workflow builders and pre-built templates for common use cases. The harder challenge is organizational readiness, like making sure your processes and data are clean enough for automation to work reliably. Image via Gemini This article, "Agentic AI Isn’t Just for Big Business Anymore — But Don’t Automate Before You’re Ready" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The short answer: Agentic AI is now accessible to small businesses, and it can deliver real efficiency gains. But it works only if your processes, data, and people are ready for it. Moving fast without that foundation will cost you more than it saves. Here’s what small business owners need to know before they automate anything. What Is Agentic AI, and How Is It Different from the AI Tools Small Businesses Already Use? Most small businesses are already familiar with AI that helps write emails, generate content, or answer basic customer questions. That’s generative AI, which is AI that responds when you ask it something. Agentic AI goes further. It doesn’t just respond; it acts. An agentic system can observe a situation, determine what needs to happen, and carry out a sequence of actions to get there, often without human input at each step. In practice, for a small business, that looks like: A customer submits a support request. The agent categorizes it, checks order history, drafts a response, and sends it without anyone reviewing it. A new lead fills out a form. The agent scores the lead, adds it to your pipeline, sends a personalized follow-up, and schedules a discovery call. An invoice arrives. The agent extracts the data, matches it to a purchase order, flags discrepancies, and queues payment for approval. Is Agentic AI Actually Accessible to Small Businesses Now? Yes, and that’s what makes 2025 a real inflection point. A few years ago, deploying an AI agent required a dedicated engineering team and a substantial budget. Today, agentic capabilities are being built directly into the software small businesses already use: their CRMs, project management platforms, customer service tools, and accounting software. The compounding effect is real. Small businesses that begin building familiarity with agentic workflows now will have a meaningful head start over those who wait — not because the technology will become harder to access, but because organizational learning takes time. Simultaneously, the risks of moving too fast are equally real. Automating a broken process doesn’t fix it — it breaks it faster and at greater scale. How Do You Know If Your Small Business Is Ready for Agentic AI? Before deploying any agentic AI, ask yourself these four questions: 1. Do your existing processes actually work? Agentic AI amplifies whatever it touches. If your customer follow-up process is inconsistent or your lead qualification criteria are vague, an agent will execute those inconsistencies at scale. Map the process clearly first, and define what “good” looks like before you ask a system to replicate it. 2. Do you have clean, reliable data? Agents make decisions based on the data they can access. Duplicate contacts, outdated inventory numbers, or incomplete customer records will produce bad decisions at machine speed. Data hygiene is foundational. Do that work before you automate. 3. Who on your team will own the agent’s decisions? Even the most capable agents need a human owner — someone who reviews outcomes, adjusts parameters when things drift, and escalates edge cases. “The AI handles it” is not an accountability structure. Identify that person before you launch. 4. What’s your plan when the agent gets it wrong? Every automated system will eventually make a mistake. Design your recovery path before you need it: How will you know when something has gone wrong? Who gets alerted? How quickly can you override or pause the agent? Where Should Small Businesses Start with Agentic AI? Start with the tasks nobody wants to do anyway. The best early use cases for agentic AI are high-repetition, low-stakes workflows where the cost of an occasional error is manageable and the efficiency gain is immediate. Best entry points for small businesses: Appointment scheduling and follow-up reminders Routine data entry and invoice processing Lead scoring and initial outreach sequencing Internal status updates and report generation Where to hold back for now: Customer complaints requiring empathy or creative problem-solving Sensitive negotiations or relationship-defining conversations Any interaction where tone and judgment materially affect trust Scale gradually. Start with one workflow. Run it in parallel with your existing process for a few weeks. Compare outcomes. Then decide whether to expand. Businesses that pilot carefully end up with more reliable automation than those who try to overhaul everything at once. The Bottom Line Agentic AI is a genuinely powerful set of tools that, applied carefully, can help small businesses operate with the kind of consistency and efficiency that was previously only achievable at scale. The businesses that will get the most out of it won’t be the ones who sprint. They’ll be the ones who take the time to understand what they’re automating, why it matters, and where humans still need to be in the loop. This week, pick one repetitive task in your business that consumes time and produces predictable outputs. Map every step. Ask whether a system could own it. If the answer is yes, you’re ready to take your first step. Further Questions About Agentic AI for Small Businesses What’s the difference between agentic AI and a chatbot? A chatbot responds to inputs but doesn’t take independent action. An agentic AI system can take a sequence of actions across multiple tools and systems to complete a task without a human prompting each step. Think of a chatbot as a reference desk and an agent as an employee who gets things done. How much does it cost to implement agentic AI in a small business? Costs vary widely. Many small businesses access agentic capabilities through software they already subscribe to, such as newer versions of CRM, accounting, or customer service platforms that include agent features at no additional cost. Standalone agentic tools typically range from free tiers for basic use to a few hundred dollars per month for more advanced configurations. Can a small business implement agentic AI without a technical team? Yes. The current generation of agentic tools is designed for business users, not engineers. Most platforms offer visual workflow builders and pre-built templates for common use cases. The harder challenge is organizational readiness, like making sure your processes and data are clean enough for automation to work reliably. Image via Gemini This article, "Agentic AI Isn’t Just for Big Business Anymore — But Don’t Automate Before You’re Ready" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Google is testing having the AI Overview box "Ask Anything" section stick to the bottom of the Google Search box as you scroll down the AI Overview and the search results. This keeps AI Mode in your face during the whole search experience. View the full article

Beijing-backed wealth fund puts 10% stake in London airport on ‘active watch’View the full article

Google Ads is testing a way for advertisers to preview the impact of a change, like adding negative keywords. It seems to be called "Preview impact estimates" and lets you estimate the impact of, in this case, adding specific negative keywords.View the full article

Fact: Agentic AI is making humans indispensable. More than 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027. That is a prediction from Gartner published in June 2025, based on a poll of more than 3,400 organizations actively investing in the technology. The reason cited is not that the agents do not work. It is that the humans deploying them are making the wrong decisions. “Most agentic AI projects right now are early-stage experiments or proof of concepts that are mostly driven by hype and are often misapplied,” according to Anushree Verma, senior director analyst at Gartner. Organizations are deploying agents without a clear strategy, without understanding the complexity, and without the governance to manage what happens when something goes wrong. In other words, the agent is only as good as the human behind it. This matters enormously for marketing. AI agents in marketing are real, accelerating and in many cases, necessary. Agents that select audiences. Agents that generate content. Agents that optimize send times, choose offers and orchestrate entire customer journeys autonomously, continuously and at a scale no human team could match. The capabilities are here today and growing rapidly. But Gartner’s data reveals a warning and marketing leaders who miss it will find themselves on the wrong side of that 40%. FOMO causes agent failure The failure rate Gartner describes is not random. It starts with fear. Fear of being left behind. Fear of watching competitors move faster. Fear of being the CMO who did not act when everyone else did. That fear is driving organizations to deploy agentic AI, not because they have a strategy, but because they cannot afford to be last. The result is agents built on broken workflows. Agents fed with poor data. Agents operating without the governance structures that keep them aligned with business goals. The agents execute… the wrong things, in the wrong ways, at the wrong times. FOMO is not a strategy. And in the agentic era, it is an expensive mistake. Agent washing Gartner identified a widespread trend it calls “agent washing”… vendors rebranding existing chatbots and automation tools as agentic AI without delivering genuine autonomous capabilities. Of the thousands of vendors claiming agentic solutions, Gartner estimates only around 130 offer real agentic features. Marketing teams investing in the rest are not getting agents. They are getting dressed-up automation with an agentic price tag. automation with an agentic price tag. The consequences go beyond wasted budget. Gartner predicts that in 2026, one-third of companies will harm customer experiences by deploying AI prematurely, eroding brand trust and damaging both acquisition and retention. A personalization agent that misreads a customer. A content agent that violates compliance. A journey agent that floods a churning customer with offers at exactly the wrong moment. These are the predictable outcomes of deploying autonomous systems without the human judgment to direct them. The dumbing down of marketers Gartner’s third prediction is the most revealing of all. GenAI usage leads to the atrophy of critical thinking skills. As a result, 50 percent of global organizations will require AI-free competency evaluations. Half of all organizations are watching their people get dumber because AI is always available to think for them. Quietly. Gradually. Until the day the algorithm is wrong and nobody in the room can tell. In marketing, that is a crisis. Marketing requires judgment — the ability to ask not just what the data says, but what it means. Not just whether a campaign worked, but why. Not just whether to accept an AI recommendation, but whether it reflects the brand, the moment and the relationship the company is trying to build. Those questions cannot be delegated to an agent. They require a human being scrutinizing what a machine thinks is right. The most dangerous marketer in the agentic era is not the one who rejects AI. It is the one who accepts everything it produces without question. Agents cannot be trusted to ask the right questions An agent can optimize what it has been given. It cannot question whether it has been given the right thing. It can personalize a message based on behavioral signals. It cannot decide that the right move is to say nothing at all… to give a customer space, to protect a relationship rather than extract from it. It can generate a thousand content variations and test them. It cannot feel the difference between a message that converts and a message that connects. It cannot sense when a campaign that performs well in the data is quietly damaging the brand. It can execute a journey flawlessly. It cannot design one that reflects what customers actually want from this brand, at this point in their lives. These are not limitations that will be solved by the next model release. They are structural. AI is trained on the past. The irreducible human job in marketing is to bring judgment about what should happen next, even when the data does not yet exist to support it. The marketer as manager of agents The right mental model for the agentic era is not human versus machine. It is a human plus machine, with the human in charge. That is the foundation of Positionless Marketing. For decades, marketing teams operated as an assembly line with handoffs. Positionless Marketing breaks that model by giving marketers three transformative powers: Data Power to immediately discover customer insights for precise targeting and hyper-personalization, without waiting for engineers; Creative Power to create channel-ready assets like copy and visuals, without waiting for creatives; and Optimization Power to run campaigns that optimize themselves through automated journeys and testing, without waiting for analysts. Handoffs are eliminated. The Positionless Marketer is a multidisciplinary thinker who deploys AI agents to go beyond traditional positions. Agents handle what used to require waiting for three different teams, eliminating the assembly line. The marketer is no longer waiting on anyone. They are thinking bigger, moving across disciplines while keeping human judgment at the center of every decision the agents make. This is a promotion, not a replacement. But it comes with real demands. Marketers who can think strategically, not just operationally. Who can evaluate AI output critically, not just accept it. Who can take accountability for what the agents do in their name. Gartner’s Daryl Plummer stated it directly: organizations should prioritize behavioral changes alongside technological changes as first-order priorities. The technology is ready. The question is whether the humans in the marketing organization are. The window is narrowing The organizations that will win the next decade of marketing are not the ones that deploy the most agents. They are the ones that build the human capability to direct them well.Gartner’s 40% prediction is not a warning to slow down. It is a warning to be deliberate. The difference between an agentic marketing operation that compounds value over time and one that wastes budget, violates policy, and erodes customer trust is not the technology. It is the human judgment sitting above it. Marketing teams need to face facts in the agentic AI era: the agent is only as good as the indispensable human behind it. View the full article

This article is republished with permission from Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. The cruise missile-killing high-energy laser weapon the U.S. Defense Department envisions as part of its ‘Golden Dome for America’ domestic missile defense shield is beginning to take shape. The new Joint Laser Weapon System (JLWS)—a collaboration between the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy whose existence was first reported in June 2025—will initially consist of a containerized 150 kilowatt system with potential to scale to at least 300 kw to defeat incoming cruise missile threats, according to the Navy’s fiscal year 2027 budget request. The system will also include Joint Beam Control System (JBCS) “capable of supporting” a 300-500 kw laser weapon, the documents say. The JLWS effort will leverage research and development lessons from the Navy’s 60 kw High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system, which is currently installed on the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Preble, and the Army’s 300 kw Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL) system, the first prototype of which the service plans on taking delivery of of later this year. The Navy will also “conduct upgrades” to its High Energy Laser Counter Anti-Ship Cruise Missile Project (HELCAP) testbed “as appropriate” in support of future JLWS testing. While last year’s Army budget request detailed $51 million in mandatory funding for JLWS through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” reconciliation bill under its ‘Expanded Mission Area Missile’ program element, this year’s request does not contain any R&D funding for fiscal year 2027 but details plans for $337.8 million in spending starting in fiscal year 2028 and running through fiscal year 2031. Based on the budget documents, it looks as though the service plans on closing out its IFPC-HEL activities first before kicking off its part of the JLWS effort. The Navy, however, isn’t waiting around. The service requested $94.825 million under its ‘Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems’ program element in fiscal year 2027 (up from just $14.5 million in fiscal year 2026, as previously reported) that includes $79.84 million under its Surface Navy Laser Weapon System (SNLWS) effort to jumpstart JLWS R&D, sustain the service’s lone HELIOS system for future testing activities, and upgrade the HELCAP testbed (which is also receiving a separate $14.978 injection), according to the service’s budget request. The service plans on investing an additional $243.3 million into JLWS R&D under that program element through fiscal year 2031. Together, the Army and Navy requests total a vision of $675.93 million in R&D spending for the JLWS through fiscal year 2031. The Navy plans on awarding $31.7 million in contracts for JBCS development as soon as the fourth quarter of 2026 and the $30 million in contracts for the procurement and testing of containerized JLWS by March 2027, according to budget documents. It seems likely that Lockheed Martin will receive those contract: not only is the defense prime the technical lead on both the HELIOS and IFPC-HEL efforts that will inform the JLWS, but it’s also already developing a containerized version of the former, a company executive revealed in August 2025. It’s worth noting that while the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2027 budget request also contains $452 million in R&D spending for the “development, integration, and assessment” of directed energy weapons in support of Golden Dome, the exact relationship with the Army and Navy’s JLWS efforts is unclear. The Navy budget documents state that the $79.84 million allocated under SNLWS also includes funds to “begin development of a consolidated implementation plan” for all Golden Dome-related directed energy projects, “leveraging synergy and common weapon architectures between these efforts where possible” in coordination with the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The dream of a laser weapon capable of shooting down cruise missiles is nearly as old as the laser itself. The Pentagon first demonstrated the concept in the 1970s with the Navy ARPA Chemical Laser (NACL), a deuterium fluoride system developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) that successfully engaged small missile targets but proved far too large and complex for practical deployments. Those same challenges would befall its successor, the megawatt-class Mid-Infrared Advanced Chemical Laser (MIRACL), despite the system successfully neutralizing a supersonic MQM-8 Vandal missile during testing in 1989. The Gulf War briefly revived this dream in the U.S. Air Force’s ill-fated Airborne Laser (ABL) program, which consumed more than $5 billion over nearly two decades before its cancellation in 2012. More recently, the Navy’s Layered Laser Defense (LLD) system, developed by Lockheed Martin in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research, successfully downed a target drone simulating a subsonic cruise missile in a 2022 demonstration at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in the military’s latest attempt to validate the concept under realistic conditions. The Pentagon clearly hopes that the JLWS will finally push its laser-based cruise missile defense efforts over the finish line. But as previously reported when the JLWS first became public in June 2025, such threats pose a far more complex challenge for directed energy weapons than the low-cost weaponized drones that are reshaping warfare on battlefields from Ukraine to the Middle East. Cruise missiles fly low and fast, hug terrain, and execute evasive maneuvers that compress reaction time, while their hardened casings require far more sustained energy to defeat than the soft-bodied drones that current tactical lasers are optimized for. Compounding the challenge, atmospheric interference can scatter or absorb beam energy before it reaches the target; even at 300 kw power levels, laser weapons demand a degree of beam control and aim-point precision that no known system has yet demonstrated against a realistic cruise missile threat. After years attempting to scale laser weapons to power levels suitable for cruise missile defense, the Pentagon’s push for a containerized solution also represents a departure from past vehicle-mounted or warship-integrated systems. For the Navy in particular, Chief of Naval Operations (and noted laser weapon champion) Adm. Daryl Caudle has explicitly emphasized the pursuit of modular capabilities that the service can rapidly swap across its surface fleet for particular missions without lengthy and expensive stays in shipyards. Look no further than the service’s October 2025 live-fire test of the Army’s 20 kw Palletized High Energy Laser (P-HEL) system, based on the LOCUST Laser Weapon System from defense contractor AV, from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush. Indeed, the JLWS isn’t the only modular laser weapon the Navy is exploring. The aforementioned Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems program element also includes $4.82 million in funding to support the “development, integration and marinization” of the Army’s Enduring High Energy Laser (E-HEL) systems—the modular, 30 kw laser weapon based on lessons from P-HEL and the aborted Stryker-mounted 50 kw Directed Energy Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD) system that the service envisions as its first directed energy program of record. The Army planned on procuring two E-HEL units in fiscal year 2026 and another pair the following year, according to the service’s budget request, with plans to “produce and rapidly field” up to 24 systems total in the coming years. With its LOCUST system proven as a counter-drone capability both abroad and at home, AV appears the leading contender to clinch that contract in the coming years. With institutional support for developing and fielding directed energy weapons at scale at a historic high, JLWS may prove a significant opportunity for the Pentagon to finally make its dream of missile-killing laser weapons a reality. But the history of counter-cruise missile laser development is littered with programs that cleared every bureaucratic hurdle only to stumble on the physics and operational realities. A containerized 150 kw system may be a more modest and achievable goal than the behemoths that came before it, but whether JLWS can survive contact with both the budget process and real-world complexities of blasting cruise missiles out of the sky remains the open question. This article is republished with permission from Laser Wars, a newsletter about military laser weapons and other futuristic defense technology. View the full article

More than 900 complaints that mention SpaceX or its Starlink internet service have been filed with the Federal Communications Commission over the past five years, according to files obtained through a public records request. The complaints provide a view into how the technology has already evolved into a critical lifeline for some rural U.S. residents. They also provide insight into some of the leading issues that frustrate Starlink customers, including variant—and sometimes disappointing—internet speeds, as well as poor customer service. The documents obtained by Fast Company come from the FCC, the federal agency that regulates telecommunications providers. Customers can file complaints with the FCC after experiencing issues with internet services, and these complaints will sometimes form the basis for a deeper agency investigation. Some customers will also encourage others to reach out to the FCC to attract the attention of regulators about particular issues they’re facing. The complaints come as U.S. states prepare to hand SpaceX hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies to expand Starlink service in their most internet-deprived regions. In these areas, Starlink aims to provide access to the web by connecting people, via a home terminal, to the internet provided by its satellite constellation—and avoid the long and difficult work of installing fiber. SpaceX is now readying for a historic IPO and several upgrades to Starlink, including new satellites, a next-generation gateway station, and expanded direct-to-cell coverage. But the unearthed docs suggest the Elon Musk-owned company has, in some cases, exasperated Starlink users with what they call abysmal customer service. SpaceX’s customer support page lists several ways to get in touch with the company, including phone numbers, a message form, and—for those who use Starlink’s app—a way to file a ticket or seek help from Grok, the AI chatbot developed by xAI (another Musk company that SpaceX now owns). But many customers allege they receive unhelpful automated responses and must wait an extremely long time for assistance, while others say they’re unable to reach SpaceX employees by phone. Some complain the company has “extremely poor performance and speeds” or is “not giving the service they promised.” About 36% of the complaints mention the word support, and about 28% use the term ticket. Some refer to billing or pricing changes, while others focus on issues with Starlink installation. (A number of the complaints also cite conspiracy theories about the impact of cellular service on human health.) A good number of the complaints center on waitlists and slow delivery times for hardware. Several express frustration that the company sent terminals to Ukraine—SpaceX, indeed, provided hundreds of terminals to Ukraine after Russia invaded the country in 2022—before they, themselves, received hardware. “They claimed that inflation and chip shortages were the reason for delays in shipping dishes but yet they were shipping thousands to Ukraine,” one such complaint reads. “Starlink provides a remarkable internet access service, but has very poor customer service. If you are capable of setting it up yourself and troubleshooting it, it works well,” Christopher Mitchell, who leads the community broadband networks initiative at the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance, tells Fast Company. “But if you need assistance, then you may be out of luck. “ SpaceX and the FCC did not respond to a request for comment. The names of the complainants were redacted by the FCC office that handles Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, requests and cannot be individually verified by Fast Company. Some complaints take a different tack, petitioning the FCC to oppose the spread of Starlink because of their opposition to its CEO, Musk. Others reach out to criticize the paltry state of their existing broadband offerings, then urge the agency to make it easier to buy Starlink (“Starlink rocks,” wrote one person). These complaints come amid broader tensions over the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, a federal initiative that’s meant to subsidize internet providers who expand service in unserved and underserved U.S. states and territories. After a yearslong back-and-forth, SpaceX and other satellite providers finally received this funding, though the company and the states that will dole out the money are still determining how this will actually work. A significant chunk of complaints allege that SpaceX doesn’t provide the internet speeds it advertises. Notably, the company published expected speeds on its website, but also asserts that “Stated speeds . . . and the uninterrupted use of the Services is not guaranteed.” Like other internet providers, Starlink has also experienced outages that have disrupted the internet connections of some customers, enterprises, and even the Defense Department. Some customers, particularly in rural areas, told the FCC that they’ve come to rely on Starlink and that issues with customer service and speed have disrupted their lives. “Starlink is already overwhelmed servicing its existing customer base, and yet we’re about to add a whole bunch more customers,” says Sascha Meinrath, a Penn State professor who has authored research that raises concerns about Starlink’s network capacity. “The question that I’d have for the regulators and grant program officers is, Do you add thousands or millions more customers, setting ourselves up for failure of the program?” Mitchell at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance says the complaints speak to the frustration that people who live in rural or underserved areas face in finding internet service providers that actually deliver the service they advertise. “We have many providers that make plenty of money from comparatively easy-to-serve customers and do not have much desire to offer a service that could truly be used universally,” he says. “Funny enough, that is even true for new low Earth orbit satellite, where the service can reach almost anywhere on Earth, but customer support is not nearly so readily available.” One operator, who spoke in 2023 with a Starlink customer in Mendocino County, California, noted in one of the complaint documents that the customer had been without internet for more than two days, and had been struggling to get in touch with Starlink. “Their app is not compatible with his phone,” notes from the call say. Another complaint, filed by a person living in Warren County, New York, alleged that they had not received the speeds advertised on the company’s services map, and that issues with Starlink speeds were interrupting their ability to work from home. “We have a special needs child that does most schooling from home and as a result we work from home a lot to care for her,” the person wrote. “While we currently have Starlink, the speed rarely meet[s] those advertised and, on a cloudy day, which is a lot, the speeds plummet,” rendering the service unusable. In November, a Vermont resident reported being without internet for five days after their router failed. Although they purchased a replacement, they were unable to activate it because the process required two-factor authentication, which they could not complete without an internet connection. After repeated calls to Starlink yielded only automated assurances of a callback, the family drove to a nearby town with phone service to submit multiple support tickets, but still failed to reach a human representative. The lack of internet caused issues for the person and their partner, both of whom need to work at home. The partner, who works in medicine, had to drive to a local corner store with Wi-Fi to reach patients. The couple was also vulnerable, the complaint added, because without service, they were unable to remain reachable by their father, who has Parkinson’s. They added, “This is an emergency!!!” View the full article

I joined IBM Research in the early 1990s wanting to be a networking specialist. I spent time in grad school at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) working on algebraic coding theory—specifically cyclic codes—for my master’s thesis. Cyclic codes are mathematical patterns that prevent signals from interfering with each other. Think of them as a way to let hundreds of conversations happen in the same room without anyone talking over each other. At the time, I thought that knowledge might never be useful again. But about six months into my job at IBM, serendipity struck. People started asking: is it possible to build a wireless network? Until then, wired networks were the only viable option outside of limited uses of wireless in aviation. But once the FCC gave out spectrum allocations, the need became urgent: how could you prevent hundreds of wireless devices in a building from conflicting with each other? That’s a classic coding problem. And it turned out to be exactly what I had worked on in grad school. I knew the answer right away; I didn’t need to reinvent it. What once seemed like obscure academic work suddenly became the foundation for what we now call Wi-Fi. That’s when I learned an important lesson: curiosity compounds. The questions worth pursuing don’t always yield immediate results. When you allow curiosity to lead you, you never know when it might pay off. Technology alone isn’t enough As we developed the technology and began collaborating with IBM’s product team, I learned another important lesson: you can’t win with technology alone. You also need a deep understanding of the market. We had demonstrated that high-speed wireless connectivity was viable. Still, the product team wasn’t convinced. We saw laptops on the horizon and imagined a world where people could work untethered. But the product team reminded us that customers had already invested heavily in wiring their offices, making Wi-Fi appear impractical. We were disappointed. But that disappointment became a pivotal career moment. I learned that innovation will never succeed on technology alone. Success requires pairing technical innovation with business insight. You can have the best architecture and the most promising idea, but without a clear business model and deep market understanding, it will go nowhere. Growth Mindset There was one final lesson I learned from this experience, and it was more personal. To succeed at IBM, I knew I had to become more than a technologist. I had to develop business skills—to understand markets, economics, customer behaviors, and timing. Later, I found language that encapsulated these lessons in work by Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. She wrote about a growth mindset: the belief that capabilities aren’t fixed, and that progress comes through learning, perseverance, and adaptation. My early setback in Wi-Fi taught me exactly that. With a growth mindset, knowledge you think might never be useful can suddenly become critical. I’m not sure I could repeat that coding work today, but I can still understand it. When our quantum team talks about error correction, I get it right away because it is very similar to what I worked on long ago. At IBM, we take this growth mindset philosophy seriously. We encourage IBMers to take ownership of their development and provide extensive resources to help them reach their goals. We also extend this beyond our walls through SkillsBuild, our free platform providing global access to technology and AI education. As technology shifts rapidly—especially in AI and quantum computing—the world needs people who can combine technical depth with market understanding to solve major challenges. For me, it all started with cyclic codes and Wi-Fi, and the recognition that meaningful innovation is as much about mindset and market insight as it is about engineering. My First Job is a recurring series in which prominent business leaders share what their first job was and what they learned from it. View the full article